When he was acquired for Devante Smith-Pelly at the trade deadline in 2016, Stefan Matteau was seen as a reclamation project undertaken by Marc Bergevin. A former first-round pick who had struggled to make an NHL impact with the New Jersey Devils perhaps just needed a change of scenery to find his game in Montreal with the Canadiens.
The NHL was not in the cards for Matteau this year as he spent the entire season in St. John’s with the IceCaps. While he showed flashes of what his top potential could be, his lack of discipline and inconsistent effort put a damper on what could have been a great season for 23-year-old.