Key Takeaways
- Jeff Gorton said the Canadiens are exploring the trade market for another center, but they're also comfortable with their current in-house options.
- The Habs EVP also discussed Mike Matheson's future in an exclusive interview with RG.
- Could Montreal be a destination for stars in the future as well after the Dobson blockbuster?
Mike Matheson takes a shot (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)
Montreal Canadiens Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations Jeff Gorton and Kent Hughes are still exploring the NHL trade market for a second-line center. However, if they’re not able to acquire one, Gorton believes there could be some internal solutions up the middle.
“No, I think we’re comfortable. We know we’re not a finished product,” Gorton told RG in a recent exclusive interview when asked if fit was imperative to acquire a new second-line center before the 2025-26 regular season begins.
“We’re going to still look and try to improve our team always. A lot of people are talking about centers but we have centers in our organization, and we’re comfortable with that going into camp. I have mentioned before that we don’t look at it like opening day as the end of when you can change your roster. There are a lot of teams around the league that add players after that and all the way up to the deadline, so we’re comfortable with where we’re at and the moves we’ve made.”
A healthy Kirby Dach will most likely be given a chance, and some have speculated on Alex Newhook seizing the role. Gorton, though, did not specify what centers he believes could rise from within and become the team’s regular second-line center.
The one current Canadiens player that Gorton raved about was actually a defenseman. Despite Mike Matheson not having a contract extension and being the subject of numerous trade rumors, Gorton made it clear that he still views the 31-year-old defenseman as a key cog on a blue line he really likes.
“Well, when we look at our defense, with [Matheson] still in it, it looks to me like it’s really good,” Gorton replied.
“It’s got a little bit of everything. If you look at Mike’s body of work since he came to Montreal, he’s been a really good player. So, sure, he takes criticism once in a while, but he might play upwards of 25 minutes a game sometimes, right? He’s been huge right now, and we all realize that. So, there are no decisions made on Mike right now. Obviously, he’s got a year left on his contract, but he’s been a very, very, solid player for us. He’s a very good penalty killer; he plays against the best players every night, and there’s not much he doesn’t do.
His first year he came here, he played very well, and then his second season here, he got 62 points, and then last year with Lane’s [Hutson] emergence, he took a step back offensively for Lane really because he wasn’t on the first powerplay anymore. Mike’s such a solid guy and a leader, and he’s been really big for us. We’re well aware of that, and we’ll see what the next step is in Montreal for him.”
If Matheson isn’t traded, he could find himself paired with the recently acquired Noah Dobson on the Canadiens’ top pairing. Dobson was acquired by the Habs hours before the first round of the 2025 NHL Entry Draft began on June 27 in Los Angeles. The Canadiens sent the 16th and 17th picks and forward Emil Heineman to the Islanders in exchange for Dobson, who immediately signed an eight-year, $76 million ($9.5M AAV) contract with the Canadiens.
Dobson reportedly turned down more money from the Columbus Blue Jackets in order to get traded to and sign with Montreal. So are the Canadiens on the verge of becoming a destination team again despite lure of say, the Florida Panthers and other sunbelt teams that play in a no-tax state?
“There are ways we can do certain things in Quebec and Montreal to help alleviate the tax issues, but we’re excited about Montreal and where we’re going, and I feel like, around the league, people are taking notice.”
Stay tuned for more content for this exclusive interview with Jeff Gorton.
