Confirmed with Link: Matteau to MTL for Devante Smith-Pelly

[New Jersey Devils]

Canadiens MontréalVerified account
‏@CanadiensMTL
The Canadiens have acquired Stefan Matteau from the New Jersey Devils in exchange for Devante Smith-Pelly.

Click to read more...

 

[Group Chat Legend*]

Why...

 

[Richer's Ghost]

Why? Don't get it.

 

[ForeverJerseyGirl]

Okay with this. Kind of a lateral move, but maybe DSP can fit in/do better here than Matteau did. Best of luck to Matteau but things didn't seem to be working out right for him here. I've supported him quite a bit around these parts, but I'm not really angry or devastated about this. Hopefully DSP works well in the bottom six here.

 

[Sgt Brylin]

Habs misfit LW for our misfit LW.

 

[SladeWilson23]

DSP does have 12 points.

 

[NJDevs26]

People better keep glen away from sharp objects...

 

[Emperoreddy]

I don't get it. I'm not high on Matts, but Pelly?

 

[NJDevils17]

Actually think we did well here. Had zero faith in Matteau and DSP showed promise in the playoffs with ANA a few years back. He had crap to work with in Montreal as well.

Not that I think DSP is the answer to our problems but I do think he can be a third liner for us. I like his potential.

 

[HughJazz3dg]

I actually do like Matteau, but I have faith in our management. Maybe they see something in DSP like they did Palmieri. Not that he'll suddenly become a top six forward, but maybe he'll be a decent middle six guy.

 

[New Jersey Devils]

TSN analysts seemed to like the trade.

 

[Emperoreddy]

He is also crying.

 

[NJDevs26]

TSN analysts seemed to like the trade.

For who?

It does worry me that DSP was so attached there

 

[Whaddagoal]

I wanted to see more of what Matteau had, but its clear from this year the team saw no value in him in the short or long term. I don't agree with their eagerness to not wait (in seeing if Stefan will pan out more), but they saw a lot more of him in practices all year so i can't say they are wrong with that initiative, either.

Not upset at the trade though, DSP is a "better" player than is Stefan right now, but of course, that could change drastically if Matteau ever figured things out.

We replaced him with a guy that currently will make our roster. Yeah i know, Stefan could turn out better but clearly the coach/gm didn't see it the way and they had all season to play him, so its better for us and for Stefan.

 

[New Jersey Devils]

For who?

It does worry me that DSP was so attached there

The Devils. Said when he played with better players he flourished.

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

I would drop DSP right into Stempniak's spot and see what you've got there

 

[dackelljuneaubulis02]

hab fan here. I'm in the minority and actually thinking DSP wasn't that bad here.

We traded him for Sekac and everyone hated the trade immediately cuz Sekac was actually playing pretty decent hockey.

He lost a lot of weight in the offseason and can skate really well. The odd time he got some scoring line chances I thought he did well. I think he has potential though he might not realize it fully. I swear that he wasn't as bad as what a lot of hab fans say. I would've been totally fine with him on our 4th line next year.

What's the word on Matteau if you don't mind me asking?

 

[Zippy316]

Love this trade.

Matteau was average as an NHL player and he wasn't going to be able to get more AHL time he desperately needed. Smith-Pelley is what I think Matteau might become and he's a right handed shot so he won't hit the same logjam that Matteau will hit when all our LW prospects come up.

 

[Emperoreddy]

hab fan here. I'm in the minority and actually thinking DSP wasn't that bad here.

We traded him for Sekac and everyone hated the trade immediately cuz Sekac was actually playing pretty decent hockey.

He lost a lot of weight in the offseason and can skate really well. The odd time he got some scoring line chances I thought he did well. I think he has potential though he might not realize it fully. I swear that he wasn't as bad as what a lot of hab fans say. I would've been totally fine with him on our 4th line next year.

What's the word on Matteau if you don't mind me asking?

He legit couldn't crack our lineup, which is the worst offense in the league so ya...

At best he could be an ok 3rd liner, odds are a 4th liner or nothing.

 

[Whaddagoal]

hab fan here. I'm in the minority and actually thinking DSP wasn't that bad here.

We traded him for Sekac and everyone hated the trade immediately cuz Sekac was actually playing pretty decent hockey.

He lost a lot of weight in the offseason and can skate really well. The odd time he got some scoring line chances I thought he did well. I think he has potential though he might not realize it fully. I swear that he wasn't as bad as what a lot of hab fans say. I would've been totally fine with him on our 4th line next year.

What's the word on Matteau if you don't mind me asking?

Wish i could tell you, he BARELY played this season, literally. Not necessarily an indication of who he really is though, but the coaches certainly didn't like him enough.

He can skate, he has size, he has a hardshot, hits people

He didn't seem very good defensively, or if not defensively, his mental aspects of where he should be at the right times, wasn't there yet, but that can be taught. Although I'm not sure if some of these negative traits were just straight up simply because he didn't play much at all with any rhytm.

He was in and out of lineup early, and then sat for long periods, then came in and played for maybe 3-5 games straight, then sat out long periods again.

I felt bad for him, personally, though they should have given him some more time to show what he can do. Who knows what happens in the practices, maybe theres a key ingredient that is missing or something that they don't (or the press) discuss.

 

[ForeverJerseyGirl]

hab fan here. I'm in the minority and actually thinking DSP wasn't that bad here.

We traded him for Sekac and everyone hated the trade immediately cuz Sekac was actually playing pretty decent hockey.

He lost a lot of weight in the offseason and can skate really well. The odd time he got some scoring line chances I thought he did well. I think he has potential though he might not realize it fully. I swear that he wasn't as bad as what a lot of hab fans say. I would've been totally fine with him on our 4th line next year.

What's the word on Matteau if you don't mind me asking?

Thanks for the information on DSP.

I can't give you too much of a scouting report on Matteau as an NHL player, because he didn't get much of an opportunity to play in the NHL this season. Personally, I think he's a guy who can play bottom six minutes, and mainly plays the game that you would expect of a bottom six player: physical, sticking up for teammates in tussles, and crashing the net for dirty goals. The biggest problem for him in the early part of the season--which might have alienated him from our coaching staff--was his tendency to take many, bad penalties, but that seemed eliminated from his game in the handful of games that he played since then. Overall, he's not really noticeable, which is both a positive and a negative.

 

[EliasFTW]

Should of just forfeited the pick.

 

[NJDevs26]

Love this trade.

Matteau was average as an NHL player and he wasn't going to be able to get more AHL time he desperately needed. Smith-Pelley is what I think Matteau might become and he's a right handed shot so he won't hit the same logjam that Matteau will hit when all our LW prospects come up.

Bingo. Matteau wasn't playing NOW when we had a thin lineup, he sure as shooting wasn't going to be playing next year when we had more kids and more signings/acquisitions coming in. I don't know what people expected to happen with him here and how he was ever going to get time. And I don't get what people expected his celing to be when he had 26 and 27 points in 60+ games in the AHL the last two years. That doesn't translate to MORE scoring in the NHL, he and DSP are what they are, physical fourth-liners that can maybe become a third-liner. It was basically one castoff for another, only DSP is two years older and plays RW.

 

[dackelljuneaubulis02]

thanks for the info, guys.

definitely take my opinion with a grain of salt because a lot of Hab fans didn't like DSP at all but I really think it was because of the Sekac trade. Eller similarly suffers the same fate because of the Halak trade imo.

He was really good at the beginning of the year on the 4th line where even his harshest critics were pleased with his play. Then injuries came. he got moved to the top line, scored 2 goals in his first two games there and then dropped off and got injured. Since then he's really been as bad as anyone else on the team imo.

He's a lot faster after the weight loss in the offseason for sure and is actually now a pretty good skater imo.

 

[Richer's Ghost]

Matteau's not crying.

Maybe we won this one. lol