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Trade underway with the Montreal Canadiens and it's the ideal situation for the Chicago Blackhawks
Photo credit: NHL.com
The Montreal Canadiens have reportedly listed a longtime NHL veteran defenseman on the trade block, and it's the ideal acquisition candidate for the Chicago Blackhawks, who are current one of the youngest teams in the entire league.
General manager Kyle Davidson is well aware that he cannot ice a full youth lineup in the upcoming 2025-26 NHL season, fully displaying that by acquiring Andre Burakovsky from the Seattle Kraken this summer to provide some veteran leadership.
Alongside Frank Nazar's contract extension, Davidson has surely accelerated Chicago's rebuild.
But one area has been left behind, and it's the back end.
All but one of the six projected defensemen to be on the Blackhawks' opening night roster have played more than one full NHL season. Mind-boggling, right?
Despite the youth being impactful, such as Sam Rinzel glowing defensively, they are still in need of room to develop.
An anchor is needed on and off the ice, and the latest release by Bleacher Report may signal a perfect opportunity for the Blackhawks.
Mike Matheson to the Chicago Blackhawks would be ideal mentor
31-year-old Mike Matheson being acquired by the Chicago Blackhawks would be ideal for the youth, and no, this veteran we speak of isn't another T. J. Brodie presence.
Matheson has been the anchor of the Canadiens' blue line but has been involved in trade rumors since early June.
Sportsnet analyst Eric Engels singled out Matheson as a trade candidate since they acquired Noah Dobson, the new face of their back end.
In the final season with an affordable cap hit of $4.9M AAV, it's a very ideal option for the Blackhawks.
"Sportsnet's Eric Engels singled out Matheson, Jayden Struble and Arber Xhekaj as trade candidates during a July 29 appearance on The Sick Podcast with Tony Marinaro. He believes one of them might not be with the Canadiens by this time next year."
Would you like to see Kyle Davidson and the Blackhawks capitalize off of the Canadiens' defensive logjam?
Previously on Chicago Hockey Insider
| POLL | ||
AOUT 31 | 488 ANSWERS Trade underway with the Montreal Canadiens and it's the ideal situation for the Chicago Blackhawks Would you like to see Mike Matheson lead the Chicago Blackhawks' youthful defensive blue line? | ||
| Yes | 318 | 65.2 % |
| No | 170 | 34.8 % |
| List of polls | ||
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