Top 3 moves the Florida Panthers must make after being eliminated

2. Trade Mike Matheson

One of Dale Tallon‘s biggest mistakes is Mike Matheson‘s extension. He signed the then-young defenseman just after the start of his second season. Tallon, based on a decent, but not stellar, rookie season, decided to give Matheson an eight-year deal worth $4.875 million annually. It should be noted Tallon could have waited until after Matheson’s second season.

Two seasons into the deal (it started during the 2018-19 season), he has been a healthy scratch in the postseason for the Panthers. And deservedly so after posting eight penalty minutes in the first two games in the series against the Islanders. It has become clear that Matheson is no longer a good fit with the Panthers.

A quick dive into his underlying stats raises several red flags. First of all, Matheson doesn’t really produce. Over the past two seasons, he’s averaging 0.96 points per hour at 5v5. Among the 108 defensemen with at least 2,000 5v5 minutes over the past two seasons, that puts him 46th. If you’re getting paid almost $5 million a year as a defenseman, you better be able to make an impact.

Secondly, while production isn’t the only way a defenseman can make an impact, Matheson doesn’t make it in other areas either. In each of the past two seasons, the Panthers have allowed more shot attempts, shots on goal, scoring chances, and goals when he’s on the ice. Matheson doesn’t make an impact as far as driving offense, either.

Sometimes, you need to cut bait with a bad move before it becomes a terrible move. That’s why the Panthers should trade Matheson this offseason. He still has some value now, which might not be the case later on.