Well before the news was officially official, the word had taken off on Twitter.
In a surprising move that blindsided both players, the Penguins traded two-time Stanley Cup champion and fan favorite Patric Hornqvist for Florida defenseman Mike Matheson. Wait. Or did they? Or did they not?
As an uncertain situation unfolded on social media, dragging on more than 24 hours, Matheson himself was enjoying a casual offseason afternoon on his couch, blissfully unaware. The defenseman says he’s one of the intelligent few who doesn’t wade into the toxic waters of Twitter.
Then, his phone buzzed with a message from one of his offseason training partners, Kris Letang.
“He texted me welcoming me to the team,” Matheson said with a laugh on Saturday night. “I was sitting on the couch with my wife. I turned to her and said, ‘I think I got traded.’”
In the immediate aftermath of the deal, many questioned whether former general manager Jim Rutherford had made a mistake. Truthfully, it was fair to be skeptical. After all, Matheson had fallen out of favor in Florida as a healthy scratch the final two games of the Panthers’ postseason. With six more years remaining on his contract, which carries a $4.875 million average annual value, the Penguins were making a pretty significant -- and lengthy -- bet they could help Matheson recapture his top form in their system.
But there was one person who wasn’t concerned, the guy who broke the news to Matheson.
“From the start, I had no doubt in my mind,” Letang said. “I kind of knew what he was going to be able to do on this team, especially with the talent that we have with Sid and Geno. ... Obviously, for offensive defensemen, it’s ideal. You jump into the rush. You don’t have to carry the puck that much, you just have to get open.”
Eight games into the Mike Matheson Experience, it’s not been perfect by any stretch. However, the last handful of games, the new lefty is showing many of the reasons the Penguins believed he’d fit in their system.
Often, players who join the Penguins have pointed out that Mike Sullivan’s coaching style allows them more latitude to act on their instincts and play with freedom. For Matheson, in particular, that’s been especially evident and important to his success.
During Thursday’s 4-1 win, Matheson played probably his best game of the season, recording a plus-four rating and producing one of the more creative, instinctive plays all year. Knowing that Islanders block so many shots, he intentionally fired the puck off the end boards, breezed past his check, collected the puck himself and fired it on net. Teddy Blueger was there to deposit the rebound into the net.
More or less, it was the hockey equivalent of throwing an ally-oop to yourself off the backboard. It was the kind of play that could wind up on the "And1 Mixtape Tour" or a Dude Perfect video.
On Saturday, Matheson again showed off his offensive instincts during a 3-2 win against the Islanders. With a forechecker breathing down his neck, Matheson used his elite skating to carry the puck out of trouble. And then kept carrying it. And carrying it all the way from behind the Penguins net into the offensive zone.
After holding onto the puck in all three zones, Matheson shuffled it to Blueger and then found an opening in the slot. The new defenseman buried the give-and-go and then capped the beauty with an emphatic fist pump.
Through eight games, Matheson has been on the ice for 60% of the expected goals and about 49% of the high-danger chances, according to Natural Stat Trick. If he can keep that up, both of those metrics would be well-above career averages.
“Mike is a guy that has a talent, a lot of skill,” Letang said. “He can see the ice really well. He fits right in with our team.”
This is not to say that Matheson has been perfect. He said himself that he wasn’t happy with how he played the first two periods of Saturday’s game. During one play in particular, he and Pierre-Olivier Joseph had some kind of miscommunication that exacerbated a 3-on-2. Matheson and the puck ended up in the back of the Penguins' net behind goalie Tristan Jarry.
Defensive zone breakdowns will be part of the process for Matheson as he adapts to a new system and works on an area that’s a weakness of his game. But what’s encouraging for the Penguins is that he’s already flashing some of the upside they saw in him – and that the Panthers must have seen in him to give him that eight-year deal.
The key for Matheson might be the same as it is for his training partner, Letang. Make enough of those highlight-reel, offensive-zone plays that showcase unique gifts that the occasional defensive-zone lapses can be forgiven.
“What you can see is how his skating and his mobility can be such an asset for him and for our team,” Sullivan said. “He has the ability to shake a forecheck and use the net to beat the first forechecker and help us get out of our own zone. He has the ability to join the rush and jump off the offensive blue line. He’s got pretty good offensive instincts.
“I just hope he can continue to build on his game.”
Mike DeFabo: mdefabo@post-gazette.com and Twitter @MikeDeFabo.
First Published: February 21, 2021, 7:26 p.m.
