NEWARK, N.J. — Following the Penguins' 4-2 victory over the New Jersey Devils on Sunday, coach Mike Sullivan rattled off a long list of defenseman Mike Matheson's "dominant physical attributes."
He's an elite skater, easily the best on a team built upon speed. His puck handling is better than many forwards. In Sullivan's opinion, Matheson has one of the hardest half-slappers "in the entire league." Good size. Solid strength. On and on Sullivan continued.
Then, even once the formal interview segment was done, the coach was not.
Yeah, that goal he scored was an absolute "missile" from the blue line. But did you see the shot that missed the net? He almost broke the glass, Sullivan said, shaking his head.
Yet, for all this cheat-code speed and dazzling offensive upside, Matheson was considered a reclamation project — or even a cast off — when the Penguins acquired him ahead of the 2020-21 season. Florida was more than happy to unload his deal, which carries a $4.875 million average annual value. ESPN named it the worst contract on the Penguins' payroll at the time. Matheson himself admitted that things "snowballed" and his confidence wavered.
Now, a year and a half into his Penguins tenure, the narrative around Matheson has largely changed. While there are risks and rewards that still sometimes don't pay off, he's found a way to mostly minimize the miscues and unlock those physical skills.
"I think so much of it is confidence, right?" Matheson said. "When you don't feel like things are going well, it can be easy for doubt to creep into your game and when that happens, it's tough to execute and be sharp throughout the game."
This season, there should be plenty of reasons for that confidence to swell. Many stats suggest that last year was the best campaign of his career — and this year is even better.
Among NHL defensemen, he's tied for 15th in the league with seven goals this season, all at 5-on-5 play. In total at even strength, the rest of the defensemen have just eight goals, with Kris Letang and Brian Dumoulin tied for second-most on the club with three each.
Last season, Matheson was on the ice for more expected goals for than against for the first time in his career (54.17%). He's built on that even more this season, as he's been on the ice for 58% of the expected goals, another career high.
Perhaps the biggest area of improvement has been Matheson's decision making with the puck. After leading the NHL in turnovers in 2018-19, Matheson coughed up the puck just 1.6 times per 60 minutes last year at 5-on-5. By and large, he's continued to make sound decisions this year, recording just 1.85 giveaways per 60 minutes. That's a marked turnaround from that 2018-19 season, when he coughed it up more than five times per 60.
OK, it's not perfect. Name a defenseman that is. Even during Sunday's game, he tumbled to the ice when the Devils were in transition. That mishap fell somewhere in the continuum of blame for the 3-on-2 that ended with Jack Hughes all alone in the left circle.
But for the most part, plays like that have been overshadowed by the positives.
Assistant coach Todd Reirden, who focuses on the defense, deserves plenty of credit for working one-on-one with Matheson to get his game back on track. Sullivan's philosophy also has freed up the fleet-footed Matheson by highlighting his elite skating in a system built around speed and skill.
And give Matheson himself some credit, too.
"I just think he's done a good job of just taking what the game gives him," Sullivan said. "When he plays that way, he doesn't chase the game, so to speak. I think that's when he's at his best. He's been really effective for us."
