Canadiens: What to Expect From Lane Hutson

There are still eight days left before the puck drops on the 2024-25 season, and yet it seems crystal clear that Lane Hutson will be dressed for the Montreal Canadiens on opening night. He's the prospect who has shown the brightest all camp long, and with GM Kent Hughes making some room on the blueline this Summer, one couldn't help but think he was getting his defense corps ready for the youngsters' arrival in the NHL.

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The 20-year-old 5-foot-9 and 3/4 defenseman was drafted 62nd overall by the Canadiens back in the 2022 draft. He will face lofty expectations in his first season in town, but fans should manage their expectations. The youngster doesn't need any added pressure; he's got plenty already.

Last Season

Hutson spent the last year in the NCAA with Boston University for his sophomore season. There's no such thing as a sophomore jinx for the speedy young rearguard who was remarkably consistent, putting up the same number of goals as he had in his rookie season (15) and nothing one more assist (34) for a total of 49 points.

Related: How the Montreal Canadiens Landed Lane Hutson

His team qualified for the Frozen Four, and in its first round, Hutson nabbed a goal and an assist in a 6-3 BU win. In the second round, Hutson scored the game-winning goal in another 6-3 victory. Unfortunately, BU lost 2-1 in the semifinal to the Champions to be from Denver University. The blueliner was held off the scoresheet in defeat.

What to Expect

There are already people out there taking bets on Hutson being the Calder Trophy winner, which, I'm afraid, is somewhat premature. Yes, he has shown promise at camp and has looked mainly good on the ice, but he still has a lot to learn about managing his energy and picking his spots.

When he loses the puck, the young defenseman is relentless until he wins it back, but the ton of energy he deploys in those circumstances could catch up with him in the grind of a long NHL season. By better picking his spots and moments, he could diminish his number of turnovers and have more energy to use efficiently.

Related: Canadiens: P.K. Subban Hops on the Lane Hutson Train

From what we've seen so far at training camp, it looks like Hutson will be used on the second power play, which is a good decision. That way, he can learn a lot by watching Mike Matheson go on the first wave and hopefully get better at evaluating the players he can and cannot beat in a one-on-one. He won't be able to dance every NHLer out of their skates, and that's normal. He will improve as he gets used to the NHL's speed.

It's tricky to quantify his offensive production. So far, in three pre-season outings, he has a pair of assists, but the difficulty will undoubtedly increase once the puck drops on the season.

Furthermore, the loss of Patrik Laine may affect the efficiency of the second power play unit, making it harder to produce. The last Canadiens blueliner who was that offensively gifted was P.K. Subban. In his rookie campaign, he scored 38 points in 77 games. Subban reached his career-best total of 60 points three seasons later.

If the stars align for Hutson and there are no (more) injuries to the team's offensive assets, I would consider a 40-point season a huge win. When Moritz Seider won the Calder Trophy in 2022, he did it with 50 points to his name. When Cale Makar did it in 2020, he also had 50 points, but in only 57 games, and when Aaron Ekblad did it, he put up 39 points in 81 games, but he was much less of an offensive defenseman than the other two.

To keep in check with the team's official motto, it would be great if the youngster was to "be in the mix" for the Calder Trophy, but it's by no means a necessity. I'm confident what we'll see throughout the season will be a steady improvement, and that's just fine. This youngster has yet to mature, and Hutson has plenty of time to blossom into the best version of himself.

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