Chicago Blackhawks acquire 31-year-old veteran defenseman: It was just confirmed

The Montreal Canadiens are looking to trade veteran defenseman Mike Matheson. Matheson has been in the Canadiens organization since he was part of the trade that sent him to the Habs in return for Ryan Poehling and Jeff Petry.

Needless to say, the 31-point (6-25) defenseman makes an AAV of $4.875 million, and his contract is set to expire at the end of the 2025-26 season. He could be an affordable, productive rental for the Chicago Blackhawks, who still have prospects who aren't NHL-ready.

Effectively, it'd make him a placeholder, and his time in Chicago could be short, while players like Sam Rinzel and Artyom Levshunov get more playing time in the AHL, while Matheson would hold down the fort.

The biggest question for Matheson is how well his contract negotiations go with the Canadiens and GM Kent Hughes, as they're looking to extend him, but not at the amount he's currently making, we suspect.

The former 23rd overall pick in the 1st-round of the 2012 NHL Draft has plenty of hockey to play left. He could be a factor in the bottom-pairing of the lineup where T.J. Brodie once played, now bought out.

He could step in and play big minutes if need be, and is a capable two-way defenseman despite his lack of consistency.

Matheson has been around long enough to experience a push to the Stanley Cup Finals, where the Montreal Canadiens faced off against the Tampa Bay Lightning during the 2020-21 season.

In 25 playoff games played total across his entire career, he's scored 8 points (1-7) with an ATOI of 22:37 minutes.

The Blackhawks could easily fit him underneath the cap space available and add another short-term contract into the mix.