Mike Matheson is calm and composed by nature, but there is one thing he hates more than anything else in life: losing. And he wants that to change.

• Read also: The Xhekaj brothers: the strength of the name

• Read also: Two years to forget for Dvorak

So it’s not about being “in the mix,” but about doing everything you can to win as many games as possible and aim for a spot in the playoffs.

“If you’re in a situation where you’re losing a lot and you’re okay with it, you’re not going to get anywhere, you have to keep hating it to move forward and keep changing things.”

We therefore have to work hard in the warm-up matches, but we must not think that the way we approach them has changed this year because the team has more experience.

“To think that in other years we didn’t care about the games and the way we started, that’s not true. Just because we think we’re going to have a better season than last year doesn’t mean our attitude is different.

“Of course you can have a little more momentum, but my personal goal is always to play well so that I start the season well.”

Place for young people

The CH defense is young and there are three young guys, Lane Hutson, Logan Mailloux and David Reinbacher, who are looking to climb the ranks.

For a veteran like Matheson, who averaged 25 minutes and 33 seconds per game last season, letting the young players advance could mean sacrificing some playing time.

“I want to do everything I can to help the team and I want them to move forward. I don’t care what that means [pour moi] Personally, I just want to win.”

“I never said I didn’t like playing a lot of minutes,” he added with a laugh.

After a day of treatment, Patrick Laine was back in training on Sunday.

In cooperation with our partners