On Monday night’s episode of the Sick Podcast, Eric Engels and Tony Marinaro discussed what makes Mike Matheson more responsible in his own zone so far this season. Engels brought up how a lot of the mistakes that Matheson made last year were a result of how well his teammates made themselves available to receive a breakout pass. This season, his teammates have given him good options for a pass out of the zone, allowing him to get them the puck easier and not force his way up ice with his elite skating or attempt a difficult pass that may fail. Essentially, Engels is saying Matheson’s defensive success depends on how well the team’s forwards place themselves for a pass.
Mike Matheson has been playing some much better hockey this season… So what changed?#GoHabsGo #thesickpodcast @TonyMarinaro @EricEngels pic.twitter.com/o2M46qePX0
— The Sick Podcast with Tony Marinaro (@thesickpodcasts) November 4, 2025
The reason that Engels came to that conclusion about Matheson is mainly because the Habs defenseman’s role hasn’t changed, and neither has his time on ice in most games. Matheson still plays 24-25 minutes every game against his opponent’s top players, which includes full 2-minute shifts on the penalty kill. This ice time also doesn’t include any power play time, which may be somewhat of a change to last year’s season, but he didn’t really get much on the 2nd power play unit during the 2nd half of the 2024-25 season anyway, so that doesn’t change much about his ice time. In fact, he may even be relied on more with the penalty kill, as the Habs don’t have David Savard anymore.
The only things that have changed are that it seems Matheson’s risk-reward calculations have been much stronger, meaning he’s far less likely to take risks by trying to carry the puck up by himself. In this situation, having a partner like Noah Dobson has helped, as, despite both being great skaters, the Habs newcomer is better at handling the puck up ice. Therefore, Dobson takes away a lot of the carrying up ice when needed. At the same time, if Matheson sees a clear opening, he will still skate his way up ice.
Mike Matheson knows he committed too many egregious turnovers last season.
But the Canadiens and Matheson are working together to keep the lowlights down this year, and he’s now playing at the top of his game. (@EricEngels) https://t.co/3IFmeMsMqr
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) November 3, 2025
The other thing is that the reality is Matheson doesn’t have to calculate nearly as much as he knows where his teammates will be most of the time, with how they play a very strong collective game as a team. Engels brought up how Head Coach Martin St. Louis always says that there will be individuals who will shine through if the Habs play a strong collective game. This is exactly what has happened with Mike Matheson so far this season.
According to Engels, he doesn’t believe that Matheson has changed his style of play much or at all for that matter, but what he has noticed is that when Matheson had struggled in the past, it was because the team as a whole was chasing the puck. This, in fact, made everyone struggle as a whole on a shift, but these situations are enhanced to make defensemen look worse. With that being said, Matheson will have a few tough games at various points of the season, but it doesn’t mean all the mistakes should be completely blamed on him.
#Habs Stephane Robidas on Mike Matheson
“Two years ago, he was playing on first power play and now he’s not. He has good offensive shifts, plays against the best lines. He plays a lot on the penalty kill and a shutdown role[…] He accepts his role, shows a lot of leadership,… pic.twitter.com/Qd8FxmYtI4
— Chris G (@ChrisHabs360) October 31, 2025
If his teammates give him better options for passes, he will make fewer mistakes, and the Habs will be able to get the puck out of the zone, which will avoid any further errors that would lead to a goal against. Therefore, as good as Matheson has been, he is a product of the collective system that the Habs play on a nightly basis.
What are your thoughts on Engels’ observations of Mike Matheson’s improvement this season?
