The Canadian could get additional reinforcements on the blue line, Wednesday night, in Columbus. Absent from the preparatory calendar, Mike Matheson could return to play.
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The conjugation in the conditional remains necessary since, although Matheson trained with a regular jersey for the first time this season and that he will accompany the team in Ohio, Martin St-Louis insisted on the fact that the back of 28 years old had not yet obtained the green light to return to the game.
Whether it’s Wednesday or Saturday for the visit of the Flyers, the imminent return of Matheson will allow him to advance the schedule originally planned. When his name was placed on the injured list with an abdominal muscle injury on October 13, the Canadian had expected that he would miss eight weeks of activity. It would therefore be three weeks early.
Members of the media would have liked to speak with the defender to talk about this good news, but the communications team of the Canadian refused to make it available. Team politics, we were told.
“It’s good to see him back with the group. I know it itches a lot to come back to the game, launched Suzuki. He’s doing well on the ice. We are all excited to see him back in a game. »
From enemies to teammates
Matheson was training with a regular jersey for the first time, but he’s been hitting the rink with his teammates for a few weeks now. In the locker room, he already provides some leadership to his young teammates.
“He’s a very good guy. He makes jokes about college ranks. He went to Boston College, while I studied at Northeastern. Usually, we don’t like these guys, ”said Jordan Harris, wearing his already contagious smile.
“He asked me questions to find out how I felt, how I was adjusting to the reality of going from a schedule of 40 to 80 games. He gives me advice. It shows the kind of guy he is. It’s a pleasure to have him around us,” he added, more seriously.
Montembeault remembers
Since Matheson only played the preseason game on October 3, the vast majority of his comrades in arms practically only saw him in action during training. That may not be enough to get a fair idea of the possible contribution of whoever Kent Hughes acquired from the Penguins in return for Jeff Petry and Ryan Poehling.
This is where Samuel Montembeault, who will face the shots of the Blue Jackets, comes to the rescue.
“I played with him in Florida. I know that he is a very mobile defender, good at relaunch and able to support the attack. In training, we also see that he has a very good throw, ”explained the goalkeeper who wore the Panthers uniform for 25 games during the 2018-2019 and 2019-2020 seasons.
When Matheson is declared fit to play, the Habs will therefore have eight backs in their training. A second defender will join Chris Wideman, who has been sidelined in five of the last six games, on the catwalk. There will also be one player too many to respect the maximum of 23 players.
Joel Armia skated alone Tuesday morning, but will not accompany the team to Columbus. He will stay in Montreal to continue his rehabilitation. Jake Evans left practice before his teammates, but he will be able to face the Blue Jackets.