Canadiens’ Mike Matheson out with lower-body injury; Jayden Struble to play versus Utah

The Montreal Canadiens have announced that veteran defenseman Mike Matheson will not be in the lineup Tuesday versus the Utah Hockey Club due to an lower-body injury. Fellow rearguard Jayden Struble will play in place of Matheson.

On the season, Matheson headlines the Canadiens in seeing more than 24 minutes of ice time per night, while offensively he sits third in team scoring with one goal and 12 assists for 13 points coming in 20 appearances.

Matheson, 30, is in his third season with the Canadiens. In 2023-24, he finished with a career high of 62 points counting 11 goals and 51 assists through 82 outings, good for ninth-best in scoring among defensemen across the league.

Per PuckPedia, Matheson carries a $4.875-million annual average value and is under contract for one more season.

Originally chosen 23rd overall by the Florida Panthers in the 2012 NHL Draft, Matheson’s career has counted stops with the Panthers, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Canadiens, where through 567 total appearances he has amassed 69 goals and 178 assists for 247 points. The Pointe-Claire, Que., native is a graduate of the NCAA’s Boston College Eagles.

As for Struble, the second-year defenseman will see added opportunity Tuesday. The Rhode Island native has 15 appearances on the season, including his most recent outing in which he scored his first goal of the season versus the Vegas Golden Knights. Struble has also picked up three assists on the season.

A 2019 second-round selection by Montreal, Struble split last season between the Canadiens and the AHL’s Laval Rocket, totaling 69 appearances between the two squads.

Entering Tuesday’s contest against Utah, the Canadiens sit last place in the Eastern Conference, owning a 7-11-2 showing. The club sits seven points shy of the second wildcard position, currently held by the Atlantic Division rival Buffalo Sabres.