Canadiens’ Lane Hutson Having an Underestimated Impact

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Corey Pronman of The Athletic recently released a list of the top under-23-year-old players, and it has set off a backlash online. His list seems to be, to say it respectfully, not what many would expect. 

There’s no knock on any of the players on the list, they’re all very good, however, I can’t fathom how Montreal Canadiens defender Lane Hutson is buried on one of the lowest tiers of this list. It has to be based on height because if it’s about skill, role or impact, it makes ZERO sense. I am not alone in that. So what is it about Hutson that makes people doubt him? More importantly, what is it about his game that proves them wrong? 

Canadiens Fans Have Questions 

Questions abound, but not just out of Montreal. Somehow, Shane Wright, who is slowly becoming a solid second-line center, is 26th on his list, ahead of Toronto Maple Leafs’ winger Matthew Knies. Knies plays on the Leafs’ top line and has been the physical, puck retrieval player the high-flying forwards of the “core four” have desperately needed, all while producing over 0.5 points per game, almost exclusively at even strength. It’s enough to make anyone stare down at the table Pronman was sitting at.

Back to Hutson, I mentioned size earlier as what I see must be the weakness anyone sees in him, and that’s because there is the belief that a defenceman can only be effective if they are at least of average NHL size. His defence isn’t perfect, and it is still in development, just like his offensive game is. But the 20-year-old wouldn’t have any hope of dazzling fans with his offensive flair if his defensive game was as poor as some people wish it would be. He has been able to backcheck using his speed when he makes an error up ice, break up plays with his positioning and active stick filling lanes, and also use his hockey IQ to find ways to win board battles with regularity. While he is the quarterback of the team’s top power play (PP) unit, what seems to be ignored is that he is also one-half of Montreal’s top defensive pair. However, Pronman is still on the fence about if Hutson can even become a second-pairing defender. 

Mr. Pronman isn’t alone, there are many that simply don’t see Hutson being an impact player. They cite his size and still maturing defensive game as issues that far exceed his offensive impact. But anyone who has watched him knows that is simply not the case. At every level of hockey, over the course of Hutson’s entire life, he has been smaller than the other players, and yet somehow, at every level, had learned not only to be a reliable defender but also a game changer. 

Hutson Is Already an NHL Star

Of all players selected in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, only Hutson’s teammate, Juraj Slafkovsky (83 points), and Utah HC center Logan Cooley (81 points) have more points than him. Both are forwards selected in the top three of that draft, while Hutson was selected 62nd overall. Meanwhile, he sits only three points behind Cooley but has played 80 fewer games than the Utah forward has. Think about that, 80 games, he has played a full season less than that draft class’ top center, and sits only three points behind him, as a defenceman. What gives fans goosebumps is that his development curve has been steep and is still on the rise.  

This exponential development curve has led to him becoming one of the front runners for the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s top rookie. As of Jan. 15, the 20-year-old leads all rookies with three goals and 35 points in 43 games played. This is also good enough to place him third in total points behind only Nick Suzuki (43) and Cole Caufield (42) on the Canadiens. More importantly, his impact has helped to propel the rebuilding franchise into a playoff race with his play on the PP, but also on the top defensive pair while also being second on the team in average ice time per game at 22:42. In Pronman’s defence, even in Hutson’s draft season, scouts knew the defenceman was good but expected him to struggle to not only adjust but to become an impactful player, which is why he slid to the end of the second round.  

Lane Hutson Montreal Canadiens
Lane Hutson, Montreal Canadiens (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)

His play has brought him into the Calder discussion, as fans hope he could be the first Montreal player to win it since Ken Dryden back in 1972. But, it has also convinced many hockey fans, as well as insiders such as Darren Dreger, that he is a budding NHL star. Also, his play could impact the rebuilding plan significantly.

While general manager (GM) Kent Hughes has repeatedly stated he will not rush his rebuild, Hutson’s emergence is still quicker than expected, so technically, the impact he is having isn’t rushing the plan per se. As the 4-Nations Face-Off approaches, Eastern Conference sources have spoken to Marco D’Amico of RG and have told him that “By the end of the month, I think teams are going to start pulling the trigger on some deals, even if it’s a slight overpay, just to get guys in earlier and ready for a playoff run.” With the short list of sellers, Hughes most certainly will be fielding calls. 

Hutson’s play can open the door to Hughes being able to trade his current top-pairing left-handed defender, Mike Matheson, who is almost guaranteed to be of interest to a contending team, or, perhaps use him in the offseason in a deal to fill needs elsewhere. In the end, Montreal is watching an emerging impact defenceman that fits with the new modern version of what any top-pairing NHL defender is expected to provide teams. A top offensive catalyst that can defend with the help of a complementary player, but also, change the direction of any game with one play. 

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