BREAKING NEWS! Mike Matheson EXTENDED! 5 Year Deal | Montreal Canadiens

BREAKING NEWS! Mike Matheson EXTENDED! 5 Year Deal | Montreal Canadiens

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From structured cabling and phone systems to Wi-Fi, cameras, and alarms, Cable keeps you connected, secure, and performing at your best. Your partner for the future. It’s Cable. You’re muted, buddy. Yeah, exactly. Everything’s rush rush rush. Welcome to the Black Friday extravaganza. Looks like y’all aren’t the only ones going shopping looking for a deal. As Mike Mat, welcome to breaking news in the breaking news department of the Star and do show live on this Friday. Shout out to Little Bear at littlebearonline.com. Proud sponsor of the show. Get all your Black Friday specials for all your pets with the best staff in the pet business. Shout out to Chuck and Nebie and their all-star staff. Uh Mike Mat, we’ve been waiting for this. And Ken Hughes moves silently on this Black Friday. Marco signing Mike Mat to a fiveyear extension with a $6 million AAV. Nice little bump in pay. And the immediate reaction is two thumbs way up on the Montreal Canadians getting this tidy little b bit bit of business done, signed, sealed, and delivered. Marco, absolutely. And I think, you know, I I’ll go as far back as the beginning of this week. There was no information on Mike Mat, none in terms of their contract negotiations. Um, you know, we were talking about Adam Angstrom and what calling him up meant for the Mike Mat negotiations. Um, you know, and to the point where you have to understand Mike Matson is repped by the same agency, not the same agent, but the same agency as Lane Hudson. And they kind of wanted to avoid the noise that surrounded the Lane Hudson contract negotiation. And they did a fantastic job of that. I tip my cap to Philip Lavalier, brother of uh brother of the one you know, Vinnie, uh that runs Cortex. They kept it under wraps. Nothing leaked out until the very last second. Um so I think that this is great for them. The only thing I will say is this is even better for the Montreal Canadians. I guess if I had to ballpark it, you know, I had heard around the $6.5 million range. So to get it at this price point is excellent. I think it’s it’s a fantastic point. Um I think the AEV is good enough. Yeah. You know, I think I probably the best sweet spot would have probably been four years for me, but at four years it probably would have cost more than $6 million. I think that you offset risk with AEV and by the time Mike Mat gets to the age of 37, $6 million are basically what you’re going to be paying a low-end top four defenseman. It’s funny, you know, Marco tipped me off to this early this morning. I was still on the air on TSN 690 and immediately I reached out to someone I know close to the Montreal Canadians looking to see if there’s any more details that they’d be willing to share. And Marco, I literally got this text message before we got on the air. I just wrote I said, “I wonder what the AAV is.” Cuz we were still waiting for that for for kind of some indicators, Marco, about what the AAV was. And my friend told me that yes, the deal is getting close, was getting close, and he wrote that it’ll be sim a similar deal he believes. No question though that term was the most important part of this deal for Mike Mat. So when you talk about maybe four years and then you know what your sources were telling you, what I kind of heard a little bit here just literally minutes ago that the term for a defenseman you know past 30 looking for I mean the money is the money. Mike was getting paid no matter what, but I can understand at his age, right, that that term Yeah. was was a bigger priority here. Absolutely. And I mean, a player of his age, not that he I mean, the man is younger than me, but a player of his age in his in his playing career, he’s going to be 32 at the start of this next deal, it’ll bring him to the age of 37. That’ll be a comfortable age for him to then be able to kind of take it season by season. Uh what’s good is that this contract is signed now for the long term. It’s not a 35 plus contract because he signed it at the age of 30. Well, 31 but kicks in at the age of 32. Um, so there’s no risk for the Canadians. I’m interested to see what the trade protection is going to look like. I would assume that it also be front-loaded so that he can get most of the amount of money in right away and that then kind of have less salary at the end. These types of contracts will no longer be uh eligible to be signed as of September 16th, 2026. So, I could see the Canadians taking advantage of that. I wonder if it’s going to be signing bonus heavy at the beginning as well and then just salary at the end. Yeah. It also, you know, and and I’m waiting to see the contract breakdown because I didn’t I didn’t get the full contract details. Yeah. But I think what is clear and what is key is that when you were able to get to the five years that Mat Klein was able to come down to six because I was told by a couple of of people working around the league if Mike Mat made it to free agency and this might rock a couple of listeners but if Mike Ma Mat made it to free agency there are a couple of teams that were willing to throw eight at him $8 million at him without question. I’m not surprised because right off the hop, we’re talking about a guy now whose contract will take him to UFA status at at the age of 37. You know, right off the hop, I love the deal. I love the deal for the player. I love the deal for the organization. I love it for the fan base. And, you know, my initial reaction uh to the five-year extension at at the $6 million AAV, if you’re just joining us, Mike Mat extended for five more years on this game day. The Havs play at Colorado in uh at four o’clock today. There’s no doubt in my mind that we’re not talking about a contract, and I don’t mean to bring this up in a disrespectful manner, but you knew at the time, just to give you an idea of the contrast, Marco, you knew at the time when Brandon Gallagher was given his deal by by Mark Burge, the chances of that contract aging well were slim to none. I don’t feel at all similar today about the Mike Mat deal, about how this contract will age for him and the organization moving forward. It’s a nice term and it’s a very digestible AAV at $6 million. Absolutely. And I’ll go even one step further. Mike Mat is not your typical 31-year-old. Exactly. In terms of his shape, like it’s hasn’t had like he had that obviously I’m going to knock on wood now that he signed a deal here, but from the moment he signed with the Montreal or he got traded to Montreal, he only had that period where he first first started with the Canadians where he had an injury of any of any length that kept him out. Right. Right. at training camp. I think he missed the first like month and a half or something and then after that has been steady all the way. Well, to me hasn’t had any major structural injuries, is in some of the best shape I’ve seen any player be in, you know, notwithstanding age. Uh, and this is a guy that takes care of himself in a serious way. So, yeah, I don’t think 30 waiting till 37 is is necessarily the risk that a lot of people thought it would be. I think anything beyond that could have been, but depending on the way that this is structured, the last year could make him movable or the last couple years could make him more movable if the contract is frontloaded, right? So, you can get the best years of his career and then if you if you eventually do need to move on, you have the you have the luxury or the space. You know, maybe the last couple of years has a partial no trade clause that allows him to be moved to certain other teams, but what you get is you get Mike Mat still in his prime able to play a top three defensive role for the Montreal Canadiens at $6 million. You combine that with Hudson at 8.85 a5 and Dobson at 9.5. You basically have what I consider to be one of the top three trio defenseman in the NHL for under uh let me just do quick math. 9.5 8.85. So that’s uh about 18. And then you throw in the six, you get him for basically 25 million. That is lunacy in terms of cap management from Kent Hughes. Just absolutely, you know, nuts. And then you throw in Kaden Goully at 5.5. But really, when I see a a Mike Mat signing, a Lane Hudson signing, a Dobson signing. Yeah. And calling up a guy like Adam Angstrom and the the the growth of a guy like David Rybacker, you can’t help but wonder what does this mean for Kaden Gully? Well, you know, that to me is where I wanted to take the direction next because the top four is locked in. um as you just as you just you know um with Dobson and Hudson um Ghoulie as of now is still there and Mike Mat rounds it out. What about you know there’s a there’s too many bodies for not enough chairs. Marco, you just dropped Adam Ingstrom’s name in this conversation. Jaden Strubel, Arbor Jackkey, David Reinbacker. Too many bodies for not too many chairs. I mean, does all of this add up? Let’s get into the speculation water. Does Does all of this add up to now that Mike Mat um again, we’re getting more and more viewers as the minutes go by here. Mike Mat extended 5 years, $6 million AAV, takes him to age 37 at UFA. Um, does this mean that there are now expendable players on the defensive side if Ken Hughes is looking to again bolster the 2C or get, you know, a player that can help this team right now? That seems to be the next logical step in this conversation. Yeah, I think I by no means think that they are shopping a Kaden Ghoulie after this, but this is what I would say. A lot of people are saying that the Canadians would regret a Ghouie deal if you were able to get a Logan, sorry, a Ta Thompson out of Buffalo. Yeah. Or a Robert Thomas out of St. Louis. And the ask the the the main piece is a Kaden Ghoulie. I’m sorry, guys. I’m making that deal. I’m making that deal. Like I I have no choice. So I don’t like when you it it when people look at the trauma of the past, the the necessary trauma that the Canadians have gone through by trading away defenseman too early. I get it. And with Sergeev, I understand why everybody brings that up constantly. The difference between where the Canadians were in 2017 and now is the Canadians had nobody behind Mikuel Sergev. They had Victor Mate. Correct. Now they have two guys on the left side of the org chart on that are left shot defenseman that are ahead of Kaden Ghoulie. I’m not and again I’m not even saying trade Kaden Gulie. I’m just trying to explain the logic behind why the Canadians would explore that. But if you have two guys ahead of you in the pecking order and you’re forced to play one of them on their offside just to fit them into the lineup, you have an excess and an a quality excess and you got to give to get in this league. You’re going to get you’re not going to get a top end center for peanuts for your slew of middle six prospects, a couple of first round like no you’re going to have to give a a legitimate piece. And I’m not saying it has to be Kaden Goullley. This is why I’m saying there is Arbor Jacki. Exactly. There is Jaden Strub. There is um uh Adam Angstrom and there even is although I wouldn’t do anything right now in terms of uh of Rybacker, but there is even David Rybacker. So the Canadians simply have options now. They have clarity with the Mike Mat contract that they didn’t have before. So, if they have to go out and get a top six center, and I mean a legitimate, I don’t mean aopium. I mean legitimate top six center, they have the asurances to be able to go and do that now. Doesn’t mean they have to trade Ghouly for it. Could be Angstrom, could be anybody else. Could be a package of of some of those names. I don’t think they’ll they’ll include both. I don’t think they’ll go from a position. But hold but let me push let me push back on the Ghoulie stuff for a second again. No one’s saying the Canadians are I’m not saying they’re trading them at all. Exactly. I just want to, you know, make that clear because things move fast. Yeah. What I’m saying is I’ll give you a direct clear example. Last year this time or around the trade deadline last year, the Canadians were one of the teams that were in on Dylan Cousins. One of the one of the reasons the Canadians missed out on getting Dylan Cousins was because Buffalo was looking for a top six piece that they would be able to swap out for Dylan Cousins. something that the Canadians didn’t have the ability to do. It just was not a good match. The same applies to when they were chasing Pierre Luke Dubois in Winnipeg. They just didn’t have the expendable pieces at that time. Even though Winnipeg wanted Kaden Ghoulie as part of the deal, they didn’t have the expendable pieces to make that happen. Now they do. Now they have the depth. Getting a no adoption via trade changes the entire defensive dynamic in terms of how you’re able to build your roster. And again, I am not Wow, someone just said trade Mike Mat in the comments, buddy. Uh, leave the room. Yeah. Yeah. Sign and trade. Sign and trade. Yeah, sign and trade. Here we go. Guy takes a hometown discount. Boot. Yeah. Thanks for Thanks for that. See you. That was great. Um, so the way that I see it with with Kaden Ghoulie or Adam Angstrom or Jaden Strub or you name it is just the Canadians have an excess of left shot defenseman and they’re trying to figure out which ones they can keep. They’ve already made a decision on Mike Mat evidently and now they have to figure out which one of these guys become expendable because waiverss are real. You can’t keep Angstrom in Laval too long. He’s clearly NHL already and needs to get reps in. So I I and I’m by the way I will add one thing. The Canadians adore adore a certain Adamstrom. Yeah. Because of his versatility, because of how intelligent he is, because of the way he can move the puck, because of his size. So I don’t think you can I don’t think that he’s necessarily being shocked here. The Canadians are taking info. Now, are there teams interested in Adam Angstrom? Yes. Yes, there are. Uh, I can couple of them could be counted on my hands, I would say. Um, but where I think you need to understand this is the Canadians are taking information. They’re trying to see, okay, what’s this guy ceiling? What’s that guy sealing? What can this guy give me? How dependable is that one? If we build a championship roster, do we have too much of the same thing? Do we move this guy out to make room for that guy? These are the conversations being had internally. And now that you have a Mike Mat signed, it’s no longer a question of, okay, do we have to, you know, who do we have to look at in terms of the top pair, in terms of the second pair? The Canadians top four is basically 75% set for the next six years. Don’t have to worry about it. Now, it’s just a question of rounding out that top four and then who are you going to be your role players on the bottom pair? That’s where the Canadians are at. Well, look, like one thing seems clear to me and we’re going to see, right? I see, you know, again, you know, the view the the live viewers are popping in left, right, and center. Welcome, Robert. Thank you for joining us, guys. Matson’s AAV is is $6 million, five-year extension, breaking news on the Star and Do Show. And I just want to weigh in a couple of things on on Kaden Ghoulie. First of all, unless it would be, you know, a a young ready to go two seed, that’s it. Marco’s got the, you know, got the hand. I have I have a I have a followup to you, but let me have a follow. before I lose my train of thought. Um, before I lose Yeah, exactly. Um, you know, I see lots of comments, bye-bye Arbor, Jackie, bye-bye Jaden Strub or whatever. That trade alone, whether it’s Jack Strubal, is not going to get you pick your name. You you you fancy Robert Thomas in a hypothetical world that he’s available, that’s not going to get it done. You’re talking about getting um Kaden Ghoulie for Robert Thomas. That’s the type of of transaction. You want a Leas Patterson out of Vancouver? Not that I do, but if you do, if the Vancouver Conucks are strategically unloading, it’s going to cost you a a Kaden Ghoulie. Um, in my opinion, so that’s kind of where I see that going. And I like Kaden Ghoulie a lot, but it falls into that old cliche of yes, if you want to get, you’re going to have to give and you’re going to have to make a decision there. But, you know, my you know what my push back would be? Kaden Goulie is 23 years old. Okay? Three years ago, 70 games. Last year, 55 games. This year he’s played in five games. Like if I’m St. Louis just to play Devil’s Advocate, if I’m Doug Armstrong, why would I trade a marquee piece to my team for a guy that’s quite frankly unreliable? That’s Why would you trade for him and give up a future piece to the Montreal Canadians for a guy who’s proven year after year after year that he’s not available all the time? From what I the the perception Every time I speak to an oppos to to a a pro scout or an exec from another team about the Montreal Canadians, the conversation always ends up with Kaden Ghoulie. Agreed. I’ve heard this and how he is the prototype gush over defenseman that that that team scouts GMs like when this guy is healthy and I think that’s the key asterisk here. it. He is just like worth his weight in gold. You add the fact that he’s only making five and a half million for the next five seasons after this one and things get very interesting when it comes to him. Not only from for the Canadians, but for any other team trying to acquire him. Like you bring up the St. Louis Blues, they acquire Kaden Ghoul. He’s their top pair left shot defenseman. You put him right next to Colton Pereo and you run with it. And I’ll tell you right now, the St. Louis Blues, they very much like Kaden Goully. They he was one of the players that they asked from the Canadians when the Canadians were interested in Jordan Kairo type. So, you know that that’s Doug Armstrong’s kind of player. And that’s not only Doug Armstrong’s kind of player. Nashville likes them likes their their defenseman exactly like him. Again, I’m not saying that there’s rumors going around that Kaden Goulie is being traded, but you could be an opposing general manager and appreciate a player, right? That’s why I’m That’s why I’m saying like these teams like Kaden Goully. A lot of teams in the NHL like he’s still 23. Also, you know, you’re not he’s not 33, he’s 23. Again, this is why I say it. I really want to like I I want to move away from this, but this is why I say this. I saw one I saw one piece of of of content yesterday on Tibio Spog. I think it was Jeala who said that they should consider moving Kaden Ghoulie for Ryan O’Reilly. Right. I saw that. I just wanted to address this on some medium. That is perhaps the worst idea possible from an asset value perspective is trading a primed player signed long-term for an aging vet with 18 months left on his deal. That is the worst possible thing you can do. If you trade a Kaden Ghoulie, you are trading a Caden Ghoulie for a can’tmiss top six center. And I mean, when I mean can’t miss, I mean can’t miss for the next five to six to seven to eight years. I mean age appropriate. I mean a guy that when you trade a Kaden Ghoulie, as gut-wrenching as that would be, if that would be, then you would be able to swallow the the pain of letting him go and being like the Canadians got the better player here. That’s the only way that’s happening ever. The Canadians are not going to shop Kaden Ghoul. They’re not going to none of that happening. All the Mike Mat signing does is it gives them clarity to be able to move forward with a plan to improve their roster at forward by using some of their excess defenseman. That’s it. So, it takes us now into the competitive window for the Montreal Canadians. You know, we talk about Noah Dobson linked for the foreseeable future. Lane Hudson got his term, got his money. Um, now here we are reacting to the Mike Mat 5-year extension, $6 million AAV for what has been an anchor for the Montreal Canadians, and I mean that in obviously a good way. David Rybacker developing in Laval. Adam Angstrom makes his NHL debut this week. Um, my initial, again, just to add to my initial reaction, love the deal. Love the deal for the player, love the deal for the team. Makes a lot of sense. uh term was arguably the priority for Mike Mat so he gets his fifth year. I think if we’re talking about a team Marco that’s trying to how do I say this? Pry open. They’re trying to pry open their Stanley Cup window so that hopefully one day they can walk through it and bring a 25th Stanley Cup back to the home of hockey. Montreal, Quebec, Canada. This is how you do it in my opinion. You build a foundation, a strong foundation of speed, of talent, of experience, Marco, on the defensive side. And this adds to it, does it not? I mean, again, we talked about it before, like it it adds assurance. It adds a level of stability both on and off ice that the team didn’t necessarily have. Like if you if you factor in the group right now and you think that and and and in your mind, Alex Kerier isn’t a long-term fixture on this team, then Kad a guy like Mike Mat is the only veteran on that team, right? Like I think a no adoption is a good young veteran. Yes, he has been in the league for six, seven years now, but it just allows the Canadians to ensure that they have a good veteran presence that can be at an elite level right now. and you know should he continue should he slow down at some point in the next 5 years can slowly have his responsibilities kind of separated amongst the rest of the group like an Elaine Hudson for example who started taking penalty kill shifts like an Adamstrom that would be coming in and gobbling up more five on five minutes and like a David Rybacker who in my opinion would be taking up a lot of the defensive missions that Mike Mat has right now sure if he reaches his potential so there’s there’s opportunity here I think what it also does is it reinforces the notion of culture. I think that’s the biggest thing that is unquantifiable when you look at these contracts, but it’s the theme throughout all of them. When when Lane Hudson was negotiating or sorry, when Lane Hudson’s representation was negotiating the contract, they were getting pressure from two ends. They were getting pressure from Kent Hughes and they were getting pressure from Lane Hudson. Why? Because Lane Hudson wanted an eight-year deal in Montreal. He wanted to stay and he did not want to sour the relationship just to push for the most amount of pennies that he can get. In fact, the Canadians had an 8* 9 deal on the table. So 8 years times 9 million on the table for Lane Hudson. And Lane Hudson is the one that decided I’ll take 8.85. I’ll take a little bit off the top for you just, you know, as everybody else has done. Well, Mike Mat, you can very much argue, took a little bit more than 150K off the table to take that deal with the Canadians. So, again, a player that is committed to Montreal, committed to this team, and I’d add a player that’s never been on a a Stanley Cup contending team, right? He’s never ever been. And so there was there was also and I think this is where Kent Hughes played this game. He used that against him in those negotiations. Used the desire to stay in Montreal. Use the I’m not saying he did this maliciously. It just it’s part of the negotiation where he’s like, “Well, if you want to stay, we need you to we need you to take one for the team.” Just like Lane took one for the team. Just like Caulfield took one for the team. Cfield signed over 8 million at the time when he signed and took wanted to be under Suzuki in terms of salary. Same thing uh you can say with Urikovski and obviously we just finished talking about Kaden Ghoulie sweetheart deal as well. Everybody took less and that’s the culture that’s being built in Montreal and I expected one of their leaders in the room to follow suit. Um but you know this was Mike Mat’s last real like cashin moment. Yeah. And he still took one for the team. So to me, um, you know, yes, Kent Hughes, great contract, but to me, all the flowers go to Mike Mat for choosing Montreal. Yeah. Over chasing the dollar. I agree. I I agree wholeheartedly. Uh, Mike Mat in the, you know, in the scenario where he doesn’t find common ground with Havs management left multiple millions of dollars on the table to stay home. Um, and clearly the buyin is off the charts for his, you know, experience and where he believes this team, uh, has a chance of ending up. But what about the guys behind him? I mean, Arbor Jack didn’t play in Utah. Adam Angstrom made his NHL debut. Jaden Strubal for the last couple of seasons, right? A Boston kid. Been linked in rumors here and there. things have quieted down a little bit, but um let’s get back to too many bodies for not enough chairs. If we’re rounding out the top the six defenseman moving forward on an almost everyday basis, um what do you think the future has for, you know, Arborjackey, Jaden Strup specifically? I mean, do you see them as long-term fits for what this team is building? I one of them must be traded as I guess because all when you build out a team like if you look at championship winning NHL clubs they have an like an established elite top end top four and then their bottom pair will play anywhere between 10 to 13 minutes in the playoffs right so I don’t necessarily think it’s a major priority right now as to who fills out the bottom pair. You just got to make sure that you have the right combination on your top four and I think that’s more where the Canadians are at. So I think based on the fact that you have a Mat Dobson and um and Hudson and Ghoulie, I think the player that exemplifies the qualities that lack the most amongst the four players I just mentioned is Arbaki, right? physicality, the reach, the potential to be a crease clearing defenseman, you know, uh the obviously the, you know, the physical stuff as well, like the the the the the fisticuffs, the the being able to defend his teammates. He does that with more regularity, I find, and brings that element more so than Jaden Strup. Jaden Strupel, don’t get me wrong, I think Jaden Strup is an NHL defenseman on a plethora of NHL rosters right now. Yeah. Yeah, but I think where where I have issue with Jaden Strubal is what’s his identity? What what lane is he going to take? Is he going to be a fast puck moving defenseman? Is he going to try to be more of that physical enforcer guy like like Arbor? And you know, so that’s that’s kind of why when you put them next to an Adam Angstrom, you see a clear kind of identity with Adam Angstrom. You see a clear identity with Kaden Ghoul. Uh with with a Kaden Ghoulie. you see a clear identity with an ARB guy. I just don’t see it with a Jaden Strouel, which doesn’t mean that he’s not valuable, but it’s just is he more of the same when you should be trying to diversify your decor. Um, but again, I’m also of the I’m also of the mind that when the Canadians are going to be in a true contending form, they’re going to be trading for that final bottom pair piece anyway. So, I also I always feel like when we talk about the bottom pair, it’s kind of moot. The only thing I stress is it’s best the defenseman that play on your bottom pair have the potential to be more than that. Then it is your job as a general manager to maximize that potential in the form of a trade to improve your roster at a position of weakness. That’s my take. I don’t disagree. And again, like you look at someone like like Alex Kerier, right, who’s who’s slumping lately, but that’s beside the point. The guy’s making 3.75. He’s got one year left after this year on his on his current deal. you know, depending on how David Rybacker develops and if Adam Angstrom is in the front office’s long-term plans, I mean, there’s another defenseman that we haven’t even spoken about yet on this live show that, you know, is this someone that we could see wearing a Montreal Canadians uniform next year as it falls back into the category, you have a lot of talent. You have a lot of guys on the comeup. One of them is already here. And in the best case scenario where David Rybacker stays healthy, he shows that maybe his skill level is too good now for the American Hockey League and he’s ready to make the jump. Well, then he makes the jump, right? So, um I it’s a it’s a fascinating puzzle that Ken Hughes is starting to solve. But yeah, how many like, you know, you’re going to have Ryback or you’re going to have Angstrom, you’re going to have these guys being protected perhaps on the on the bottom pair of this team while having the veterans and the skill up front. Right. I could see it. Exactly. Exactly. And I think this is where the importance of getting a guy like Mike Mat signed is ever more so present is surrounding these younger players. I’ve spoken to Kaden Ghoulie about this. I’ve spoken to Lane Hudson about this. I’ve spoken to Strub. I’ve spoken to Jack Eye. The impact that Mike Mat has on them off the ice, on the ice, during practice, while traveling, you know that there is a value in there that is important. So, I understand again why they went and did this. When it comes to guys like you have a bunch of young defenseman coming up, you can’t keep them all. Lane Hudson signed for eight years. Dobson signed for eight years. That’s it. It’s over. Now the question becomes, how do you fill out your last three roles? Who fills out your last three roles? Is Alex Ker a long-term fixture on this team? Will you be extending him at the end of his contract? That depends on David Rybacker’s development. But then are you going to have an Angstrom Rybacker pairing when that comes to pass in, you know, in September of 2027 if my mathematics are correct. So for that to happen, Angstrom would have to get his feet wet earlier than not in the third pair, left shot, a left or right defensive role, so that you’re not icing two rookies on your bottom pair as you’re trying to make the playoffs on a regular basis. So that’s the that’s the mindset that you have to be weary of as a general manager, but it’s a great problem to have if you’re looking to improve because bottom pair defenseman, you can sign those on the free agent market. You can trade for those at the trade deadline. Canadians will have a significant amount of prospects to be able to move. It’s just you you have to be able to do it at the right time. And I think that’s where the Canadians are different. in a um in an interview that we had with um Jeff Gordon in the summer and then kind of reiterated at the Canadians golf tournament, he mentioned that the Canadians could be picky in terms of which players they’re willing to trade away and which kinds of players they feel would be the absolute best fit to add. That’s where I think this is going. Canadians are in no rush now. They have all the assurances they need. Now they can just evaluate which of the other pieces they can play with to be able to move ahead. But again, we talk about trade, trade, trade, whose position, who’s left on this. I really do want to take it back to Mat. Yeah. I really do want to talk about what I’ve been told, right? And I’ve been told I just got another message about this. I’ll read it out loud. Canadians got a steal. Could have easily signed an eight time seven. Yes. Yeah. I don’t disagree. Imagine teams death so desperate on defense with how thin the defensive market is going to be on the free agent side of things on July 1st that they were willing to give him eight years until he was 39. That’s nuts. Well, think about all the roles. He’s played in so many roles. He’s been such a great teammate. He’s been such a leader. Where where is this defensive side now as it grows with Doppson and Hudson and Ghouie and Mat? Where are they in the power rankings here? Obviously, we’re working I said it. I think I think if you com just the top three, like if you go one, two, three on a depth chart in the NHL, I think they’re a top five team in the NHL for that. Yeah. And you look at, you know, their five on five metrics are through the roof. I think Noah Dobson has 11 points in his last 12 games, right? Like again, you don’t trade players like Noah Dobson. Thank goodness it’s worked out for the New York Islanders. You know, Emil Heinman’s doing great. Uh Kashan Herson looks great in the OHL. Um you know, books a little out on Victor Eglund as of right now in the SHL, but he’s supposed to be coming over to uh to the Islanders uh farm team next season, so they’ll be able to work with him there. But I think, you know, getting a guy like Dobson, signing a guy like Mat, signing a guy like Hudson, you got to think about this, man. This all happened within what, six months. Yeah. Almost to the day. I think Dobson’s trade was the 28th of June to the day. Um, so you get basically your your defensive core signed for the equivalent of six, seven years, eight in in some cases, and you have a goalie. If you don’t, even if the Canadians didn’t want to touch their top four, they’d be set under 30 million your top four in even by this summer that’ll be below well below average in the NHL. So, they have the ability to take their time with their defense. Where I think is a little bit more interesting or I think a little bit more of a of a fun discussion is how long will Mike Mat be this team’s number one defenseman? Does he is this team’s number one defenseman? Correct. Correct. And to me, it’s it’s he’s going to be the number one defenseman for probably another I’m going to guess right now, I’ll throw it out there for three years of this 5-year deal. Like, no disrespect to Noah Thompson, but I don’t think he’s going to be the guy that that plays those minutes. I don’t think Lane Hudson is going to be the shutdown guy um that again is going to absorb a lot of those minutes. you know, we finally saw him play some short-handed time, but Mike Mat is is going to be the Canadian’s number one defenseman for three years, and maybe David Rybacker takes over that in the best case scenario eventually. I don’t think David Rybacker is a number one defenseman in the making. Um, I think that I think that there is significant potential that eventually it’s Dobson that takes over as the number one. And I think the Canadians are kind of lining him up for that. And then we’ll eventually slide Lane Hudson into Mike Mat’s spot and Mike Mat will have more of a shutdown role on the second pair. And that will be interesting because who is going to be paired with Mike Mat at that point? That’s the real ticker. That’s what the Canadians have to figure out. Well, that I mean Dobson’s getting paid like a number one defenseman. I just I wonder. He’s also playing like one. Yeah. you know, I’d like to see him, you know, I’m already I’m already ready to see him play a little bit more. Um, but I don’t think they’re at that stage yet. And that’s why I think for at least another couple of years, he’s going to still be that minute eating, experienced guy that Noah Dobson can learn from, you know, and look, listen, I I have high expectations for David Bryaner. I like this young man’s game. Um, and we’ll see what happens as as he continues to develop with the Laval Rocket. Um, leave him alone and no one’s going to be disappointed. Totally. But where does Adam Angstrom slot in in in in a world where he stays here? Like where what does he project to be when he’s comfortable and the game slows down? I think Adamstrom’s ceiling is a puck moving top four defenseman. I would almost say at the point of where he’s at right now, Mike Matis light, right? That’s what I think he can be. So, an all-purpose defenseman capable of moving the puck. Um, I don’t think he’ll be as physical as Mike Mat, and so I don’t know that he’ll have the defensive uh the defensive uh utilization that Mike Matson currently has, but I think he’s a level right under with the same kind of offensive skill set, with the same level of mobility. And so that’s why like I’m not running for the hills in terms of like he’s going to be the greatest ever, but I do think top four defenseman in the NHL with regularity. um a guy that you can play 18 to 20 minutes uh that that could chip in on the power play if you didn’t have a Lane Hudson or um or a Noah Dobson on the team, but also a guy that I feel plays the style that the Montreal Canadiens want to play, which is that quick pace counterattack kind of mobility hockey that, you know, they’ve kind of built their defense around. So, I I can see that. I could definitely see that. And so this is why I say the Canadians now have to have different pieces in play. They have to be able to assess their roster in different ways. Ways that are going to force them, I believe, to really kind of look at key roles. Who’s going to play what? For example, if Lane Hudson isn’t going to play regular shifts on the PK, you know that Dobson and Mat will. Who are your other two defensemen that are going to be doing that? When healthy, Kaden Goully. And then who’s the other guy, right? And even if there’s one of those guys play lots of minutes, take a penalty, who’s the next guy up after that? So you always have to have five guys that are willing to play that defensive role. That So when you go to build out your roster like that, that’s what a coach is thinking about. So for a general manager, how do you feed Martine St. Louis the right elements? Yeah, you have to make choices, right? Because they have the right elements. Now it’s a question of which one goes. Correct. And so, well, that’s why the Arbor jackeye angle to me is very fascinating, you know, and you heard Martine St. Louis talk about this after the Utah game, right, when he was pressed on France about what’s going on with Jackie, you know, and I I loved his I loved what I thought was a very honest answer when he asked when he finally got to the answer around Arbor is that, you know, these guys want more minutes, right? They obviously want more minutes, but it’s very situational. And that right now, even MSL admitted in French that there are guys right now on the team in the organization that are that are probably ahead of Arbor Jackey. And I don’t know what his role is. I don’t know what his future is going to be in Montreal. But what we do know are facts in that he went into camp, I think, with a job to lose. I think they wanted him to be the guy who rounds out their sixth spot on the defensive side. And I don’t think, in my opinion, I don’t think he’s fulfilled that end of the bargain. I think Adam Angstrom is here for a reason. I think Jaden Strubel keeps playing and Arbor hasn’t played. I think that’s for a reason. But when you propose that question about next man up, next man up, guys in the penalty box, so on and so forth. Are I would bet they were they were hoping that Arborji would be the answer to those questions that you threw out. I think that’s what they were hoping for this summer. And maybe he’ll get there. I’m not saying he can’t get there, but right now I don’t I don’t think they believe and that’s why they’re trying different things on this road trip. And we’ll see if Adam’s going to play today. I wouldn’t be surprised if he does. Yeah, I don’t think they’re going to break up a winning combination, but I didn’t think they were going to break up a winning combination last game. And they did the Monto’s playing today, right? So, yeah. I mean, goalies is different. Do you I I didn’t think that they were going to go back to Dolbesh. Um to leave MontBo cold like that, I have a difficulty with it. I think we do see Texier in tonight though. I do think so. For for Davidson. For Davidson. Yeah. I think eventually Davidson will eventually be loaned back to Laval. Agree. As predicted on yesterday’s live, the Canadians plucked Sammy Ble away from the Toronto Maple Leafs and sent him to Laval. They’re getting these other team cast off, right? I mean, they’re just getting cast off players from other teams, you know? Well, it was originally their cast off, right? I understand that. Yeah. But I think that this is uh this is minute not needlemoving moves but it’s needlem moving in the sense that they don’t have to disturb prospects in their development. Exactly. Yeah. It’s as simple as it is. And Sammy Blle I mean like even if he plays in Laval Sammy Blair was a like a clutch clutch veteran for the Abbottzford Canucks last year in their AHL Cup win, right? And so I think that he has the kind of elements that you would want that could bring him to your lineup and can help young players in Laval like putting him with Owen Beck and Philip Meshar and trying to get them going. You know, I think that it’s it’s going to see it’s going to force, you know, Pascal Van to utilize him in in in different ways this weekend. But I think it’s a great thing to have. It’ll be excellent for Laval. And that’s the reason he didn’t join Montreal. They didn’t have to put anybody on waiverss to for him to come to the Canadians. Canadians are only a 22 men out of 23, but they just sent him back to Laval for the time being. And when the Canadians are back, because they’re going to have the opportunity to play a lot of games at home over the next couple days. They have so many games coming up, it’s insane. Um, you’re going to need to be able to bring up guys and, you know, bring them into your lineup and pull guys out. It’s going to be a marathon this next week. So, I really hope that, you know, everybody that’s listening doesn’t take offense to some of the roster decisions that are made because they’re not being made in a vacuum. They’re being made because they’re looking at the schedules coming up over the next what is it? Uh, 26 days, they play 15 games. It’s just nuts. No, it’s nuts. It’s nuts. And let me ask you this. Pointswise in this three-game road trip, Utah, Vegas, Colorado. Pointswise, what would you have defined as a successful road trip? How many points? Given the strength of schedule, I thought I think Utah, Vegas, and and um obviously Colorado are top half NHL teams in my opinion. Yeah. So, I would have thought the breaking 500 would have been successful. I agree. I agree. I don’t to me if the Canadians get a point in the next two games. Agreed. I agree. I’d be willing to go one step I want to go one step into this though. That was before Mat signed. If if they came home with three out of six points, I would say job good job. Good job. That’s why I believe Dobish should have played today because Colorado, you look up the Colorado, you go L. You put an L on the schedule. You’re an L. What happened the last time Dobish played Colorado and everybody thought it was an L? I understand. I’m playing the percentages. I’m I That’s a fact. What you just said is factual, but I’m playing the percentages in 2025. That’s all I’m doing. I’m playing the percentages. What gives me a better chance of defining a successful road trip? And Vegas is no pushover, but they have lost three in a row. And all I’m doing is playing the percentages. That’s why here’s an idea for you. You have three backto backs in a row, correct? You put Montbo against Colorado and he gets blown up. Yeah. Then you have a home and you have two games at home against the Winnipeg Jets and the Ottawa Senators. Senators being the first game. You put Dolbish against the the the divisional rivals. Cool. And then you have Mont playing with zero confidence one game in the last two weeks against a team like the Winnipeg Jets. Bro, he’s got an 852 save percentage. He has no confidence. I’m I’m I’m not beating anybody these days. I 100% agree. Yeah. But there is a dual way to look at this. I think playing the percentages is a losers mentality that a coach cannot afford. It’s a coach a coach cannot afford. With the amount of backtobacks you have this season, your priority, number one, as an organization, is to get both of your goalies going. And number two, the Canadians need to see what they have in Dol for real. I don’t want Doves to have the easy game. I couldn’t care less if I’m a general manager if he has the easy game. I want to see how he performs against the top teams in this league because if he has a future with this team, if he’s going to be more than a backup, then I want to be able to see him keep his team in the game against the Colorado Avalanche. As simple as that. How long is this going to go on for? How long are we going to keep saying, “Hey, you got to get him going.” They’ve played 22 games. 25% of the season is over. you try overplaying Dash when he burns out and you got to go back to Montbo and his confidence is shot too, then there’s going to be a complaint that they they rode Dobes too hard. Listen, again, I’m not I think the burnout is a copout. Like, I’m not saying he’s going to play 50 60 games this season. He lost a game in overtime in New Jersey and started crying. Like, the pressure will get to him at a certain point in time. Oh, you’re bringing up the crying, dude. Everyone brings up the crying. He gets chirped for it on the ice playing against him. We knew that and I’m sure his his teammates bust his balls for it too in a fun in a fun way. You don’t think that’s You don’t think that the organization sees that and goes, “Okay, well maybe we have to approach this differently.” Right. And that’s what’s happening here is you are putting Dobes against Colorado to test him. The Canadians like they they feel confident they can win any game. They can go up against any team. Agreed. Agreed. And I don’t think looking at this game and being like, well, this was the more winnable of the two games. We put we the Canadian should have put the hotter goalender there. Okay, but there is a real consequence in 2025 2026 in throwing your backup goalie to the Wolves right there. Or the your less performing goalie to the Wolves. Yes. amid, you know, an external goalie controversy. What happens if Monty gets lit up again? What happens if he gets lit up in Vegas and the team is chasing the game like they always are when he’s in net? What happens then? What do what what line of thinking is the fan base going to use? What happens now? Nothing. They have no choice but to continue with it because the Canadians aren’t calling up Fowler. You have to run these two guys. This is what it’s going to end up being. I don’t agree that you should be playing percentages when it comes to how you utilize your goalies. In fact, from what I’ve heard from NHL coaches, and this is the way I view it as a competitor, I’d rather you give me the harder team. Give me that challenge. Give me Colorado. Give me uh the Ottawa Senators. Give me uh the New York Rangers. I think it’s the R or the Rangers and the Leafs back to back or the St. Louis Blues and the Leafs back to back. that doesn’t really matter. Those are the two teams are in the bottom of the standings. Have fun. But I want the Senators if I’m dobbish. I wantish. I I don’t disagree. I And I don’t think Martine St. Louis goes into any game thinking, “Oh, we’re going to lose.” I don’t none of these guys. You don’t get to the NHL thinking like like a normal person, oh man, we’re going to get our asses beat tonight. We have no chance. No. No. Like do as you said about he wants the smoke. Collectively this entire team wants the smoke all of the time. They know they believe that they’re a very very good hockey club to a man in that room. They believe that about themselves. So let’s not pretend that you know they go into this like with a beer league mentality when you leave your accounting job and then going to go play at Bonaventure Ice Ring on Code Deas. They don’t think that. Uh, I do uh I do see a lot of comments saying that Fowler won’t see the NHL for two years. If the Canadians make the playoffs, you best believe that the last couple of games of the season, Balor will see a start. That’s all I’m going to say on that one. Would you say you think he’s this year at the end of the year? Oh, yeah. He’ll I think he’ll get a game at the end of the year if the Canadians clinch earlier than game 82. How about that? Yeah, that makes sense. But, you know, the only the only the only uh the only thing I would say is the Canadians don’t want to rush Fowler and they won’t. No. But if they want to give him a candy at the end of the season for a good year of development, especially after not rushing his entry-level contract to kick in last year and only having it start this year, they’ll give him a game. I’m not worried about that. Um, but you think Jack stays out? Do you think Jackie stays out again today? I think Jackey gets back into one of the games. I don’t know if it’s tonight. It could be tomorrow or sorry, this afternoon. Yeah, four o’clock. Tomorrow afternoon. Yeah. Um but yeah, like I said, I think I think it’s easy to think that the Canadians will lose this game today because Montbo is Nets. I do. Yeah. It’s easy for you guys to think that. I’m just going to put one little detail out there. One of the leaders of this team just extended his contract, correct? A with the Montreal Canadiens for six years, taking a team discount. You’re very fortunate that there’s no practice today in in in in Vegas because or else they’d be swarming the hell out of him on the ice. I expect this team to come in guns ablazing trying to win this game for Mike. That’s the way I see it. You’re just joining us. We’ve been on the air for 51 minutes here. Um, Wow. It’s crazy. Um, please hit that like button, subscribe for daily uh, Habs content. We have a video out today on the asking price around Ryan O’Reilly of the Nashville Predators. Barry Trotz, the general manager out Nashville looking for a first round pick, looking for an A-grade prospect. We’ll see what happens there. Um, again, just, you know, even Pier Lebrun just continues to talk about how, you know, and I get it. They are the Montreal Canadians. Anytime you throw the Habs brand into um into the speculation waters, you’re always going to get a big splash. I get that. No doubt. Right. Um but you know just again the quick reaction to this Mike Mat extended for five years. It’s a $6 million AAV. Marco, no more details. Trade protection, NMC’s, things that nature. Um I I’ve sent out uh I’ve sent out a couple of um of messages just to see if anyone’s seen the structure of the deal. Um it still hasn’t been registered with the league yet from what I’m being told. It’s signed, but you can sign a deal and then it’s got to get registered by the league. So, we won’t necessarily know exactly what it is, but we’ll definitely uh I’ll definitely keep you guys updated. Um, you know, in terms of what yeah, the structure is my personal opinion, Kent Hughes has never really put himself in his in a position where a contract can’t be buyout bought out. That was a Mark Burj special to be honest with you. Um, so I wouldn’t be surprised if there is early trade protection, like a no move in the first four years and then a partial no trade clause in the last two, uh, frontloaded with bonuses, mostly salary at the end. That’s what I’d see. Yeah, frontloaded. So yeah. Well, yeah, in in this day and age, especially that they’re going to take away the concept of being able to frontload, especially with signing bonuses. I expect that that weighed into the negotiations and the Canadians use that as an advantage in the negotiations to advance this and get the AEV they wanted because again it’s 6 million AAV but if he gets $18 million of that in two years yes then that money by the end of the deal is worth more than the$ 18 million at the moment of it being paid out but it’s one of those rare deals does it it falls in the lap of of this is a great I think it’s a great deal for both sides. I think Ken Hughes can sleep comfortably with a smile on his face and I think Mike Mat can call his wife and say, “Babe, we got a great deal. We’re we’re staying home for for the next five years.” The point Clair native locks up for five more years. One of those rare deals, man, that I think makes both sides happy with the way it was finally structured, right? Yeah. Well, I think when you piece this together, it’s it’s a difficult thing to separate because Kent Hughes used to represent Mike Mat. Yeah. So, you have to separate the person from the player. You like these guys are friends off the ice, right? So, when it comes time to negotiating a deal like this, Jake Evans’s contract negotiations went all the way to the trade deadline. we’d even make it to the halfway mark of the season and this deal was signed, right? And I think yeah, that’s extremely telling. That tells you how much MAT wanted to stay. Tells you how much the Canadians appreciated him. And when the two came together to be like 6 million’s enough as a Canadians fan looking at this, look, I I can get some people’s concern that it takes him to the age of 37. Yeah, fine. like I’ll I’ll I’ll always afford the devil’s advocate, but age 37. So, let’s do the math here. This deal kicks in the 1st of July 2026. Mhm. So, six years from there, six years from there is 2032. Do you know what the salary cap is expected to be in 2032? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. No, no. Take a take a take a shot, Sean. in um 2032 just in consideration that next year is supposed to be at 105 and the year after that is supposed to be 115. Okay. I was going to say 113. So there’s four years after that. What do you think the cap’s going to be? 125 million. In 2032 see some expansion. Yeah. So I didn’t even think of that. Yeah. Yeah. So, we’re looking at somewhere close to 150 160 million. 160. Wow. Because the TV deals are going to spike. Yeah. The TV deals are going to spike. You guys should see what ESPN is paying for some of this stuff. Like, it’s nuts. And if you add more teams, TV deals going to go up and advertisements going to go up and partnerships going to go up. And I’ve been waiting for hockey to catch on, you know, and I just, you know, we’ll see. Well, right now the average NHL team is worth more than the average baseball team. Yeah. Look at that. Damn. Damn. I’m here for it. I’m here for it. I think it’s catching on more than fine. I think it’s just a question of, you know, it’s the TV deals. It’s the It’s the visibility. But in terms of value, you know, NHL has the value. I think they could do a better job marketing the damn sport, but I think they they definitely have value. Um, so I think where I would potentially put it is if even if on a more let’s say conservative scale we say 140 million. Yeah. What is 6 million of 140 million? It’s less than 5% of the cap. Less than 5% of the cap. Right now 5% of the cap is like 5.1 million. Yeah. And it’s also I mean the other layer to that is like I mentioned off the top you know and I and again I was just going to mention Brandon Gallagher because at the time of the contract I don’t know anybody that really loved it or thought that it was going to age really well. Like there’s 0% chance Mike Mat um I don’t think is going to lose his legs between now and the age of 37. Yeah, maybe he’s not going to be as as dynamic but he’s still uh an upper echelon. He’s in great fitness and he has just he was born to skate. I know. I just had a a mobster vision in my mind of, you know, could be terrible if something happened to your legs, eh, Mike? But no, nothing’s going to happen to Mike Mat’s skating ability on ice. I think he’s just I think he’s just perfect in terms of the way that he keeps up his body. Um, I think he takes very good care of himself. I think he has not been injuryprone at all despite playing a rather physical game and a ridiculous amount of minutes that I wish would actually be reduced, but I’m not the coach. Um, but I again will state that the risk is excessively low, excessively low that the Canadians wouldn’t be able to move on from that contract should it become a problem. I don’t think it will, but they the door is wide open for them to be able to do so at a cap hit like that. Like I’m I’m more than I would be more than shocked that the Canadians at worst case wouldn’t be able to retain a million or two and trade him to a team, you know? Like I I just don’t I don’t It’s too good of a contract. The AEV is too low. And I think fans are going to be very very um surprised at some of the contracts that are going to be signed in the next six to seven months because if last summer was any indication with Provarov who I think is an inferior defenseman and Mike Matson signing for 8.5 or a Gavricov signing at seven times seven and I think I even thought that was a deal. Um now you’re seeing a lot of guys signing in the nines. Uh Thomas Harley 10.6. Mhm. I think you’re going to see a lot of top six top four guys signing for eight n$9 million soon and we’re going to be looking back on Mike Mat’s contract before the opening of July 1 this this off season and thinking damn they got ahead of it. Well, you you do you know while we’re doing math class salary caps and cap space and AAVs and everything else, their top four defenseman today from Mat to Dobson to Hudson to Ghoulie, you’re getting each of them at less than $7.5 million. That’s pretty on an average 7.46 7.46 per man for your top four man. Dude, that is some freaking great math. That’s a great deal. Yeah. To get all Yeah. To get all those four under 30 million is just absolutely bonkers. Bonkers. And again, now the Canadians have two contracts to sign this summer. Ivan Deidov as of July 1st and Zakari Bulzuk as of any time now. Um I think they have time with both. Obviously, they have no choice back with Dimidov. But I think again the flexibility for next summer is there because um I if I remember correctly they had something north of 20 million available to them projected 20 million available to them next next summer. Let me just go and double check now. Uh the projection I’m on the wrong site. The projection for them is 20 million or was 20 million before the signing. Projected 20. Yeah. So cap projection 20 million after this signing. That’s nuts. 20 million after the signing. They have DIV to sign, but his contract would only kick in July 1st, 2027. That’s right. Yeah. And then Zachary Balzuk. So really, it’s Zach Balzuk, which I I wouldn’t foresee, you know, unless he really really pops off. Yeah, exactly. I wouldn’t foresee being a bank breaker. He’s not breaking a bank. Um Yeah. No, I don’t. I I think, you know, conservative estimations, I’d say, you know, four or five million if he really starts taking off and they sign him to a bridge or whatever. Dude, it’s the Demidov one for me. Like when you look at uh Well, that only for Suzuki, 785 for Cole, 7.6 for Demidov, you know, for Slowski. I mean, sorry. Where’s Dev squad in? Yeah. Oh, Dito is going to slot in right around no adoption in the 9.5 to 10 million. If he continues his current pace and hits 70 points as a rookie, he’s probably going to wind up there. Um, but again, that’s a guy who I think even if even if he takes that range would be taking less than what his market value would be compared to his peers. Yeah. But I don’t think that Dito is the kind of guy that’s gonna Yeah. I don’t think that Denito’s the kind of guy that’s going to push like even if you look at other Dan Milstein clients, they all left money on the table. Yeah. Right. Coacherov signed a bridge and then I signed what I thought was a pretty fair deal at 9.5 million in in in Tampa Bay. Uh Vaselki, same concept. Mikail Sergachev, his contract looks like a steal right now. You know, the what was it? 8 year 8.5. I don’t think anybody’s complaining about that right now. Mhm. Um, yes, Tampa had to move on from it, but it was a good trade for them too at the time as well. So, that makes sense. I don’t necessarily think this is going to be a hard style thing uh with Deidov. Um, I think his performances will determine what his money is going to be, and I don’t think it’s going to get more complicated than that. That’s the vetting process that the Montreal Canadians go through when it comes to choosing a player. Um, is they also want to make sure that these guys aren’t flight risks or that are going to be non-team players when it comes to these situations. guys that buy in, talented players that buy in. That’s that’s that’s what they’re looking for. So, I don’t think Deidov’s going to give them any trouble in that regard. So, again, $20 million now to spend next summer and they only have Budzer and Arborjack. I I apologize to sign for those two combined should not cost you more than five, maybe six. So easy estimate you’d be working with about 15 to 14 million dollars to improve this roster. Blaine Hudson, Noah Dobson, your Levkovski, Cole Cfield, Mike Mat now, Kaden Goully, Nick Suzuki, all linked up uh into the 2030s and all coming in at $53 million. This is some good math. This is some good bang for your dollar in the salary cap era when we talk about performance in for dollars out. Solid solid bit of business of u of of of work by this management team moving forward. And obviously I mean the Nick Suzuki contract comes from the Mark Burge regime. I’m aware of that. So there you go. Uh breaking news live. The Nick Suzuki contract was a knee-jerk reaction to having lost out on the top centers and being offer sheetated. Yeah. So, yeah, I mean, yes, good job Mark Bersang for for signing him to, you know, a very wealthy contract at the time for a player that was third on his wish list when he was negotiating with the uh with the Vegas Golden Knights. Good job. But I think it would have been silly not to sign him to a uh to that kind of a deal given the fact that they had zero center depth uh after having you know and then trading a first and a second. Yeah. For Christian D’vorak when no other team in the league was offering more than a first. Yeah. A lot of people though, like I remember the reaction, a lot of people did not like the Suzuki deal when it was handed out, you know. Um, a lot of a lot of people national and local people did not believe Suzuki was going to be a number one center. But one of the most uh one of the most uh one of the worst value contracts in the NHL. I always remember this. And ladies and gentlemen, these are not me. This is these are quotes. Yeah. Air quotes. Air quotes for the for the uh Yeah. By the way, um I know I don’t mention this enough. I should um this podcast that you’re all a part of today on YouTube.com. All of the shows that we do are available in audio form as well. So if you missed some of it, you can go back, you can watch it on YouTube or you can listen to it on your favorite audio podcast platform. Um a pleasure to bring you a breaking news edition of the Star and do show. Big shout out to Cheapest T-shirts, Little Bear, McLean’s, our friends at Cabotel, the authority in home alarm systems. Check them out at cablotel.com. And of course, Katherine Prince. you’re buying or selling your house, you want to be closer to Mike Mat in the Bell Center. Katherine Prince says over 20 years in the business, even if you just need an estimate on your home, uh she’s going to be able to point you in a professional direction and handle the business with professionalism and that sharky uh business savvy that you need for such a um earth moving transaction. Marco, and I would also add it’s Black Friday. Let’s go. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Canuke jackets Black Friday sale going on right now up until December 1st. Up to 40% off some of the best jackets you’re ever going to find. I was outside. It’s snowing and really windy and I didn’t feel a thing. In fact, my feet were colder in my boots than my body was wearing this jacket. So, anybody that needs a winter jacket, can jackets, please go and check them out uh on Rachel and the Plateau. Their sale goes on till December 1st. Uh thanks for being a part of the live stream today. You guys were fantastic. like and subscribe for daily Habs content. We’ll be back Saturday morning. That’s tomorrow. Saturday at 10:00 a.m. Eastern time. I know we have a lot of people uh listening uh from different time zones. So, just want to point that out so we’re specific so you don’t get to miss anything. Tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. as the Montreal Canadians look to hand the Vegas Golden Knights a fourth consecutive loss and we’ll see if Sam Moto can be the man that can help them do it. For Marco Demo, I’m Sean Star. Thank you so much for being with us live today. Looking forward to seeing you all again tomorrow at 10 a.m. Marco. Enjoy the rest of your Friday. Any anytime, any place, if ever there’s news, we’ll be here for you guys. Have a great one.

Shaun Starr and Marco D’Amico are LIVE for Montreal Canadiens breaking news!

The Montreal Canadiens have extended defencemen, Mike Matheson for 5 years.

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