Mike Matheson

BIOGRAPHY

Mike Matheson was born February 27, 1994, in Pointe-Claire, Quebec. He is a defenseman in the NHL.

Matheson made his NHL debut on March 23, 2016, in a 3–1 win over the Winnipeg Jets. He recorded his first career NHL goal the following season on October 18, 2016, against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

On October 7, 2017, the Panthers signed Matheson to an eight-year, $39 million contract extension worth $4.875 million annually. On October 13, 2018, during a game against the Vancouver Canucks, Matheson checked Canucks forward Elias Pettersson, resulting in Pettersson leaving the game with a concussion. While Matheson was not penalized for the play on the ice, the NHL Department of Player Safety believed that Matheson had an intent to injure, resulting in him suspension two games, thereby forfeiting $52,419.36 in salary. Following the incident, Matheson said, "I know deep down there was no frustration in me when that play happened and there was no intent to injure on my part;" he apologized to Pettersson via text.

On September 24, 2020, Matheson was traded by the Panthers to the Pittsburgh Penguins, along with Colton Sceviour, in exchange for Patric Hörnqvist.

On July 16, 2022, Matheson, along with a 2023 fourth-round draft pick, was traded to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for Jeff Petry and Ryan Poehling. The trade reunited Matheson with Kent Hughes, who became general manager of the Canadiens in January 2022. Before then, Hughes was Matheson’s agent.