Has Canadiens’ Lane Hutson locked up the Calder Trophy at this point?

Lane Hutson had another fantastic night on Tuesday, getting assists on all three goals in the Montreal Canadiens 3-2 win over the Florida Panthers. That puts him up to 62 points on the season, four points ahead of Matvei Michkov for the rookie scoring lead, and is just another cap in the feather of a phenomenal rookie season.

Frank Seravalli and Colby Cohen talked about Hutson’s season and how he’s seemingly taken the reigns in the Calder Trophy race.

Frank Seravalli: This season has been magnificent. You see the edge work, the creativity, the way that he impacts the game.

And then you draw out the lens a little bit, and you compare him to some contemporaries in Cale Makar and Quinn Hughes, and you see that through his first 76 games, [he has] 64 points. Only Cale Makar is better with 3 more. It’s not all just about the points, Makar and Hughes have other facets to their game that makes them indispensable and Lane Hutson can grow.

But for you, given that the Calgary Flames are not likely to make the playoffs, given that Macklin Celebrini and Matvei Michkov have been very impressive, but not necessarily as consistent as Hutson, has he won the Calder in your eyes?

Colby Cohen: Absolutely. I’m a big fan of these other players [in the race]. I think these guys have all had tremendous rookie seasons. But for Lane Hutson, he’s just separated himself from the pack. And [if] you asked me a month ago, I probably wouldn’t have said that. I think I still would have had Celebrini there, but I maybe would have had them neck and neck.

When you watch what this guy’s doing from a production standpoint, and then you dig a little bit deeper, and you look at how good he’s been with his stick, you look at how he’s learned his reads, you look at how he’s picking and choosing his spots better.

Sure, are there going to be moments where he ends up on the wrong side of a highlight because he plays a bit of a higher risk game? Absolutely. But I think people aren’t talking enough about the way this guy’s been defending, the way he’s been in his own zone. When you play 23 to 24 minutes a night in a stretch where you’re trying to make the playoffs, don’t you think you’re drawing matchups from the other team’s top players? Most certainly you are.

So to put Lane in the toughest position to play between forward and defenseman, and to have him play this way when the season is on the line for his team in one of the biggest and most pressure-packed markets there is, no doubt to me, Lane Hutson is the Calder Trophy winner.

You can watch the full episode here…