Mathieu Darche should return for another season with the Canadiens

The question is asked, is it time to cut bait with Mathieu Darche?

Having Mathieu Darche as a 12th or 13th forward isn't a bad place for a team to be.  The thing about Mathieu is he's going to be a complete pro, model player on and off the ice, that kids can emulate to develop their own careers.  He's a much better option than a frustrated fourth-liner who thinks he should be on the power play, or a misplaced kid like Louis Leblanc or Aaron Palushaj, who should be in Hamilton.

He's also very cheap, and he'll be happy to get what he gets, and play like it, as opposed to other guys who might wonder if the grass is greener somewhere else.

Finally, the fact that coaches love him and love putting him on the ice has to count for something.  While it was ridiculous that Jacques Martin was using him on the powerplay rather than Erik Cole early last season, it shows that he must do quite a few things right that he is trusted and used in all situations.

I'm not going to discount the local kid angle, and I'd tack on a future with the team in coaching or management too, which would be an easy transition once he retires.  He's a pretty smart guy as we can see from the interviews, and his stellar academic career at McGill.  This only adds to the reasons why we should retain his services.

Unless we luck out in free agency and we get at least three or four useful forwards and re-sign Travis Moen, Mathieu has a place on this team.