What’s Mike Matheson worth and how much does he have left in the tank?

Those are two questions that need to be answered as the veteran defenceman and the Canadiens negotiate a contract extension.

Matheson is in the final season of an eight-year, US$39-million deal he signed with the Florida Panthers. His agent was Kent Hughes, who is now on the other side of the table as the Canadiens’ general manager.

Matheson’s cap hit this season is US$4.875 million and he is clearly underpaid. Keeping the comparables to an internal pay scale, Matheson is looking at a US$9 million cap hit. That’s less than his defence partner Noah Dobson (US$9.5 million) and a shade more than Lane Hutson’s starting next season (US$8.85 million).

When Dobson joined the team during the off-season, he replaced Mathe

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