After he scored two assists against the Edmonton Oilers Sunday, what else is there to say other than: “That’s just Lane Hutson being Lane Hutson?” Nothing should surprise you at this point, especially after, a night earlier, the Montreal Canadiens defenseman notched two other assists, making him the fourth-fastest defenseman in NHL history to record 20 multi-assist games (115).
Hutson Continues to Make History
As obscure a stat as that may seem (and admittedly is), here’s another: The win over the Oilers represented the third straight game in which Hutson had earned multiple assists. That makes him the 10th defenseman 21 years old or younger with at least that many multi-assist games in a row. Whichever obscure stat tickles your fancy more, one takeaway endures: He’s an incredibly impressive defenseman, who figures to significantly factor into this franchise’s projected success for a long time to come.
Granted, there’s still room for Hutson to grow, in that he’s still incomplete in several ways. One example that comes to mind is the team’s 5-1 loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Nov. 11, which is arguably the point at which the Canadiens’ overall inconsistencies this season first came to the forefront after a 9-4-2 start. In that game, ex-Hab Joel Armia stripped Hutson of the puck leading immediately to the Kings’ fourth goal in the rout. They proceeded to lose five straight and are 7-8-2 since the aforementioned fast start.
It isn’t like Hutson cost the Canadiens that game. Truth be told, Hutson had actually helped put the Habs in a position to win, by directly assisting on Josh Anderson’s late-first-period goal, which gave the team a short-lived lead against the Kings. The point is, (many) more nights that not, he’s giving them a chance to win, with five goals and 28 points in 32 games, which ranks tied for fifth among all defensemen in the NHL.
It’s just more of the same from Hutson, when, one season after having won the Calder Memorial Trophy, the still-just-21-year-old defenseman is for all intents and purposes replicating the success he enjoyed as the NHL’s near-unanimous top rookie. He finished 2024-25 with six markers and 66 points to lead all rookies in scoring (regardless of position played) and rank sixth, tied with veteran Victor Hedman, among all defensemen. That’s obviously just the beginning of the list of his accomplishments, several others of which are of the record-setting variety.
Related: Canadiens Rookie Hutson Having Season for the Record Books
And, as has been made clear up to this point this season, Hutson isn’t suffering from the slightest semblance of a sophomore slump. Instead, he’s further entrenching himself as a top-end defenseman and the Canadiens’ top playmaking presence from the blue line, which was an undeniable concern when the Habs acquired Noah Dobson last summer. As a former 70-point defenseman with a new team-high $9.5 million cap hit, Dobson was by all appearances destined to be deployed as the Habs’ new No. 1 defenseman, when Hutson had done just about everything to earn that admitted unofficial role himself.
Hutson’s Game Continues to Grow Despite Addition of Dobson
There was no question Dobson filled a hole on the right side on defense made all the more defined with the retirement of David Savard, and that, with him in the fold, the Canadiens would be stronger. Where the doubt set in was where Hutson would fit, when it was readily apparent it shouldn’t be beside Dobson, based on their similar offensively minded playing styles. Ultimately, very little changed relative to how last season ended, as Hutson started the season beside Kaiden Guhle (and then partnered with Jayden Struble in the wake of Guhle’s injury), while Mike Matheson, who led the team in ice time last season, continues to on what is generally considered to be the team’s top pairing alongside Dobson.
The quirk is Hutson’s season-over-season per game ice time has actually ticked up (23:06 vs. 22:44), as he ranks just above Dobson at 22:27… after he led the Islanders in ice time in each of the previous two seasons (23:16 in 2024-25, 24:31 in 2023-24). Any concerns Dobson would cut into Hutson’s power-play ice time were unfounded, it turns out.
Hutson’s power-play time has also gone up, from 2:49 per game to 3:00. Dobson’s power-play time had coincidentally been an Islanders-leading 3:00 last season. Now, it’s 1:29. Seeing as the Canadiens own the fourth-most-efficient power play (26.4%), it shouldn’t matter, even with Dobson on pace for “only” 46 points, which, not for nothing, would still be more than he scored last season (39). So, the Canadiens had some idea of the player they were acquiring. They still decided to pay him $9.5 million for better or worse.
Dobson vs. Heineman? Not Really.
It’s fair to at least question whether the Canadiens needed to acquire Dobson based on his cap hit and what they gave up in two first-round picks and the apparent reincarnation of Mike Bossy in Emil Heineman (if Islanders Twitter is to be believed), but the fact are the facts: Neither Heineman, who in actuality projects as a middle-six winger, nor any of the picks, even if they were each going to be used on right-handed defensemen, were what the Habs needed, i.e., an in-his-prime rightie who could slot in on the top pairing and whose best years (hopefully still to come) seem to align with their window to contend.
I dunno where the Isles got this Heinemen kid but I'm hearing he's not the kind of kid you trade
— Justin Bourne (@jtbourne) December 10, 2025
Islanders fans are entitled to value the haul they got in exchange, but lambasting Dobson on social and what he brings to the table doesn’t change how players with his profile are incredibly valuable. Throwing stones regarding how teams “don’t trade” players like Dobson or Heineman is aimless and flat out wrong. They certainly do, as a means to an end to acquire a piece they need more. This isn’t about who won the trade. It’s about whether the Habs got what they needed, in full acknowledgement they’d always have to pay to get it.
It of course remains to be seen if Dobson reaches the 70-point plateau again. Regardless, early assessments of the situation suggest the Canadiens should be happy with how he fits in with what they’re aiming to achieve in the near-to-medium-term future. At just 26 (in January), you can probably stretch that to fit the long term, too. As alluded to earlier, ditto for Hutson, who’s only going to be 22 in February.
Dobson Is Worth It (to Canadiens)
Maybe the price to acquire Dobson was a significant overpayment. It at least is in the euphoric minds of Islanders fans, but it’s true: Ideally you don’t pay through the teeth to get him. Ideally you draft him. Sometimes, you’re not that fortunate. Other times, you get a player like Hutson at No. 62 overall in 2022.
It tends to even out. The funny thing is you can practically picture an alternate universe in which Dobson is still with the team that took him No. 12 overall in 2018, and Isles and Canadiens fans are instead debating who is more valuable between the two. Habs fans are probably thinking it themselves right now. Hutson currently holds a slight edge in all likelihood. Make no mistake, though. They’re glad to have them both.
While there are growing pains, based on the undeniably large amount of goals the Canadiens allow, they’re still within a single point of first place in the Atlantic Division, when, around this time last season, they were climbing out of the Eastern Conference basement. A large reason for that is the offensively capable blue line and the team’s resulting, highly effective transitional game.
Remember, this is what general manager Kent Hughes envisioned when he was hired: an offensive-minded hockey club. There’s a reason he effectively replaced a retiring, stay-at-home Savard (on a deal he inherited) with Dobson, namely because he could… despite already having Hutson in the fold. And, as the Habs continue to build on their success year over year, it’s working. Despite their defensive issues, they’ve allowed four fewer goals through 32 games this year relative to last.
It may not seem like much of a difference, but it’s critical to trust the process. The progression is there. In fact, it’s easy to see when players like Hutson continue to literally show theirs with each passing game. In case it wasn’t clear, the Canadiens are rife with players like that… Dobson at a practically golden-age 26 excluded. Now, that’s saying something.