The knock on Montreal Canadiens defenseman Lane Hutson has always been that he’s not the biggest. However, in multiple statistical categories in his 2024-25 rookie season, he’s proven to be the best.
Falling to No. 62 at the 2022 NHL Entry Draft (in which Juraj Slafkovsky went first overall to the Habs), Hutson ended up being a general, relative afterthought at the time, currently listed at 5-foot-9 (162 pounds). However, if the records he’s set this season are any indication, he could end up being not only the best player selected that year overall, but one of the best defensemen in the league.
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It’s obviously not set in stone just yet, but him winning the Calder Memorial Trophy, which teammate Cole Caufield just missed out on a few seasons ago as the best rookie in the league, seems almost academic at this point (*knock on wood*), as he leads the field in points (as a defenseman). As a result, it’s no shock he just captured his second rookie-of-the-month award for March (December), as he hits the home stretch, putting him in striking distance of Larry Murphy for the most assists by a rookie defenseman record (60 to his 57).
Here’s a list of his accolades that has brought him to this point:
Most assists by a rookie Canadiens defenseman
A byproduct of being second to Murphy, who set the rookie-defenseman assists record in 1980-81 while with the Los Angeles Kings, is Hutson by default own the Canadiens’ franchise mark. It just so happens, to get to second on the all-time list, Hutson had to pass the top Hab who proceeded him as the franchise record holder, which he did this past week.
That defenseman? Chris Chelios. Do yourself a favour and keep his name in mind. Of note, Chelios still holds the overall points mark for a rookie Canadiens defenseman with 64. While Hutson realistically won’t catch Murphy for the all-time mark (76), he’s at 62 with seven games to go. Chelios is the next one within striking distance.
Then:
- Ray Bourque (65; 1979-80)
- Phil Housley (66; 1982-83)
- Gary Suter (68; 1985-86)
- Brian Leetch (71; 1988-89)
In case it wasn’t clear, each of those players, with sole exception to Suter, is in the Hockey Hall of Fame. But yeah, Hutson is overrated, right?
First Canadiens defenseman 20 or younger to score a point in four straight games
Patrik Laine’s Canadiens debut wasn’t the only thing of note to occur on Dec. 3. In that same game, Hutson assisted on the Finn’s first as a Hab to earn a point in his fourth straight game, which had never been accomplished by a Habs defenseman 20 years or younger. Needless to say, that was just the beginning for Hutson, who turned 21 on Feb. 14.
Longest points streak by a rookie Canadiens defenseman
As part of that same streak, Hutson ended up hitting seven games to break another mark set by Chelios, the longest points streak by a rookie Canadiens defenseman at six, then seven games.
Of course, Chelios had accomplished the feat on two separate occasions in 1984-85. Surely that must count for something? Of course… until Hutson went ahead and hit seven again, starting on Jan. 4. Just for good measure, he added assists in two additional games to break his own record, which now stands at nine.
Longest assists streak by a Canadiens defenseman
Those nine games tie Hutson with Andrei Markov for the longest assists streak for a defenseman in team history… not just rookies, to be clear, overall defensemen. Markov had the benefit of eight years’ experience when he set that mark in 2008-09 as a 30-year-old. Again, Hutson only turned 21 on Valentine’s Day. So, he’s got nine more years to catch up to Markov and establish himself as arguably the best Canadiens defenseman of this century.
It seems increasingly possible with each passing game.
Longest assists streak by a rookie NHL defenseman
Of note, Hutson ranks tied for No. 39 on that all-time list (longest assists streak for a defenseman, which Paul Coffey owns with 17). It’s maybe more impressive to say Hutson owns the longest assists streak for a rookie NHL defenseman at nine (tied with Shayne Gostisbehere, then of the Philadelphia Flyers, in 2015-16).
Among rookies overall, Hutson trails only two players:
- Alexei Zhamnov (10; 1992-93)
- Jude Drouin (14; 1970-71)
Neither of those may be Hockey Hall of Famers, but Pat LaFontaine, with whom both Gostisbehere and Hutson are tied at nine, is. And, as a friendly reminder to anyone who chooses to bemoan the fact Hutson doesn’t score goals much and that the vast majority of his points are assists, LaFontaine didn’t score a single goal over his nine-game streak (14 assists). Hutson did.
Now, that doesn’t make Hutson better than LaFontaine. It does go to show critics who continue to move the goalposts to argue Hutson isn’t as talented as he is are only making themselves look silly, just like Hutson does opposing players in the offensive zone.
Only rookie defenseman to score three points in consecutive games
With that, it may not be the most impressive stat on this list in principle, but it is one Hutson alone holds sole ownership of, when he set in motion the Canadiens’ dramatic comeback over the Florida Panthers on April Fools’ Day (because why not?).
Having already tallied an assist in the game, Hutson carried the puck down the ice with less than 20 seconds to go and the Canadiens down 2-1. Pressured by Seth Jones at the line, he threw the puck on net in desperation. It deflected to Nick Suzuki who buried it to tie the game and send it to overtime, during which Suzuki also scored the game-winner. Hutson assisted on that one too, to give him three in the game… for the second consecutive game, after Canadiens had won the first half of the home-and-home series a few days earlier.
That accomplishment makes him the first rookie defenseman in NHL history to do so, and, not just in terms of assists, but points overall.
Taken altogether, this list of stats goes to show just how impressive Hutson has been. He may fall short of a few marks. Murphy’s points mark springs to mind, as does the all-time Canadiens record for points by a rookie, set by Kjell Dahlin (1985-86) and Mats Naslund (1982-83) at 71.
It’s of course possible Hutson does set it, but, even if he doesn’t, the point wouldn’t be Hutson is projected to become the best Habs defenseman of all-time, only that he’s clearly legit, the accolades he’s received are justified, and he’s consistently proven to be a game-breaking talent at a young age, continuing to defy the odds at his size. At this point, as far as the Calder is concerned, the odds are in contrast clearly in his favour. To deny that would be akin to arguing money isn’t valuable. And, rest assured, he’s been money.
More than that, Hutson deserves it… and, of course, the credit where it’s due.
