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The Montreal Canadiens may have one of the most productive blue lines in the NHL right now. Lane Hutson, Noah Dobson, and Mike Matheson are leading the league in 5-on-5 scoring among defensemen, and their impact goes far beyond points.
In this video, we break down:
How Lane Hutson’s transition to the NHL has accelerated the Canadiens’ offense
Why Noah Dobson has evolved into a legitimate elite two-way defenseman
Mike Matheson’s role as the driving force in the Habs’ transition game
What this means for the Canadiens’ long-term defensive core construction
How this group compares to top NHL blue lines across the league
We look at usage, deployment, 5v5 scoring rates, elite puck-moving metrics, and how Martin St. Louis’ system empowers defensemen to attack.
If you’re a fan of Habs roster strategy, player development, analytics, and future core building, this is the deep dive for you.
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24 Comments
ngl it's funny how our defense went from the most concerning part of our team two years ago to being the strongest part of our team in 2025. i love this defensive core frl
Do you guys think Matheson gets some Olympic consideration?
Dobson's addition is so big it had made Mailloux and Reinbacher expendable. Heck he gave the Habs leverage against Hutson in negotiations. Dobson is right up there now with Suzuki in terms of importance to this team. If Suz or Dob get injured this team is screwed.
It’s time to part ways with Guhle. He’s a consistent paper lion. The guy cannot be trusted to stay healthy. Dach and Guhle should be trade bait for reliable talent
About the defense, I think Montreal has the best defensive core , but what’s gonna happen next year ? The habs can’t keep reinbacher which they wasted a 5th overall in the AHL , Engstrom doesn’t belong in the ahl either and the habs must resign Matheson , the habs will be forced to trade 2 of them at least , next season they’ll have 9 nhl ready defensemen , so who’s going? Personally I’d trade reinbacher and Guhle if he can’t stay healthy . A thing is sure the habs will have to make room as they can afford to keep matheson passed the deadline if they’re not gonna keep him , Matheson’s value is through the roof right now, so what are they gonna do?🤷🏼♂ It’s a good problem to have
They’ll keep Dobson and hutson for sure but who will be the other 5 guys staying?
Dobson has been way better then I personally expected. And I expected a lot! I think he's getting better and better too. Be nice to see him make the olympic team. GHG!
Of NHL defensemen with 10 NHL games, Noah Dobson is 2nd in the NHL in Points/60 minutes on even strength. Cale Makar is 1st. Alexandre Carrier is 15th, Lane Hutson is 19th & Mike Matheson is 25th. Alexandre Carrier has 6 even-strength points in only 14:47 minutes/game, compared to Lane Hutson, who has 7 even-strength points in 18:04 minutes of even-strength per game.
A bit of an out of the box idea.
When Guhle comes back, what do you think of the idea of pairing him with Carrier. Guhle could elevate Carrier to get his mojo back. (Carrier's play appears to dip a little bit. Maybe it is taking a toll mentally for wanting to back-up Xhekaj if there is a defensive breakdown). Guhle with Carrier would give the Habs 3 solid D pairs that St. Louis trusts in any situations. It could help even out the minutes (i.e. cut down Matheson's minutes a bit). Struble and Xhekaj could rotate as Hutson's partner or give Guhle or Carrier a rest once in awhile. Both Hutson and Guhle can play on the right side when they pair with Struble or Xhekaj. As St. Louis said the Habs have depth this year. Why not take advantage of it? The schedule is so compact, spreading out the minutes seem like a good idea.
There are 60 minutes per game for the 3 pairs of D-men. Obviously, game situations such as power plays, penalty kills will dictate how the D-men are being deployed. In a vacuum, if Matheson & Dobson play 22 minutes, Hutson & Struble/Xhekaj play 21 minutes, Guhle & Carrier play 17 minutes. I think it would work great. It saves Matheson's legs, helps Carrier and hopefully keeps Guhle from injury. Late in the game, St. Louis could switch around depending on the situation.
I know Matheson is a stud but easing his minutes a bit now should help the Habs in March, April and playoffs (and probably prolong his career).
I would be interested in your thoughts on this.
My apologies for bringing up the same talking point. But who do you feel will sit once Ghule comes back. Or specifically who do you feel is the most useful to the team more at this time.
We got it made in the shade 😂
Thanks guys!
Of players with 10 NHL games, Oliver Kapanen is 12th in the NHL in Pts/60 min on Even strength 5v5. Kapanen is just ahead of Connor Bedard, Macklin Celebrini, Jack Eichel, Mark Scheifele & Nathan Mackinnon. *Alex Newhook is 24th, just ahead of Bo Horvat and Dylan Larkin, Demidov is 38th, just ahead of Ovechkin, and Leo Carlsson & Kirby Dach are 47th. just ahead of Logan Cooley and Ryan O’Reilly.
Hi guys, in your opinion, do you see any defensive traits that resemble those of Markov?
Of NHL defensemen with 10 NHL games, Alexandre Carrier is 15th! Alexandre Carrier has 6 even-strength points in only 14:47 minutes/game, compared to Lane Hutson, who has 7 even-strength points in 18:04 minutes of even-strength per game. Alexander Carrier is ahead of Charlie McAvoy, Lane Hutson, Miro Heiskanen, Zack Werenski, Adam Fox, and Victor Hedman in scoring points/60 minutes on even strength.
Arber Xhekaj is obviously the one that doesn't have the skill to play fast paced counter attack hockey, just trade him away.
The key question is if you retain Matheson as you should, what then do you do with Guhle long-term? Struble if far more adept at reading Hutson's movements and make a better pair; Xhekaj is Xhekaj. Then you have David and Adam in Laval who would be 22 comes season end; and can not risk stagnation by being there again next season.
Starr & D'Amico, any chance you can start your daily event later in the day, its a bit hard for those of us Habs fans on the West coast to make it up for 7am…just noting. Keep up the good work. GO HABS!
Hope you feel better soon Marco!
Genuine question: Could we see a Matheson-Dobson duo wearing the maple leaf this winter in Milan? Matheson has such good skating, while being a force on the PK and being able to play a mean game. I wonder what the D-core will look like with a probable Toews-Makar first pairing
I know this episode is about the D but I'm going to keep posting about the Bolduc/Dach/Demidov line until we see it happen. Eric Engels had a nice article about MSL and holding himself to the same accountability as his players, in the article it came out that MSL's observation that he's not managing ice-time properly is more about Bolduc than Demidov. So my question Marco, have you or anyone asked Marty specifically about moving Demidov to the Bolduc/Dach line and playing them consistently as the 2nd line thus killing 2 birds with 1 stone, getting both Bolduc AND Demidov more ice time? If not why not? Its ludicrous to have your most talented player barely playing 10 minutes 5-v-5. I believe Gally would fit very well on the Newhook/Kapanen line because both Newhook and Kapanen are individually playing well and Gally is still Gally, which just means he's like a dog with a bone, just flat out never gives up. Demidov is far from a 'defensive liability', still has work to do but Dach is playing extremely well at both ends of the ice so I'm not worried about such a line being a defensive hole, heck they won't be in their end enough for it to matter. 🙂
hudson was even in the opposition blue paint ~
Best Habs coverage on YT!
I have been to watch Habs at McClean's with friends when I lived in Brossard, and I would definitely bring a bunch if I still lived there! Have fun!!! 🙂
Great Show Guys 👍 👍 👍