Montreal Canadiens’ Lane Hutson is as fun as it gets – but expect challenges along the way

Steven Ellis
Steven Ellis
Montreal Canadiens’ Lane Hutson is as fun as it gets – but expect challenges along the way
Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

So few NHL prospects can bring excitement to any given shift like Montreal Canadiens defenseman Lane Hutson does.

“He makes the game look so easy,” one NHL scout said late last season. “Every single night, no matter the competition. Few guys can do that at 20 years old.”

From the moment he stepped onto the ice at Boston Unviersity for the first time in 2022-23, you could see how special he was. For those that watched his two years at the USA Hockey National Team Development Program, it didn’t come as a surprise. But dominating your age group, and doing it against, older, stronger, smarter competition in college is a totally different ballgame.

But after two excellent years with the Terriers, Hutson is ready for the spotlight in one of the game’s biggest markets. Being such a hot commodity in a city like Montreal can’t be easy, and 2022 first-overall pick Juraj Slafkovsky learned that early on in his tenure. And for Hutson – who didn’t look out of place in his two games to close out the 2023-24 regular season – things are about to get really interesting for the youngster.

For starters, he’s part of Montreal’s roster for the upcoming prospect tournament against the Toronto Maple Leafs this coming weekend. The biggest highlight of the two-team showcase is Hutson, with many believing he’s got a real chance at cracking the big club full-time next month.

But from there, he’ll enter his first NHL training camp – an experience unlike any other for a young player. That’s where Hutson will really get tested, much more so than the mini stint to close out a season that saw the Canadiens eliminated from playoff contention quite early on. There was absolutely zero pressure to perform, and, if anything, Hutson had the upper edge having played half the number of games as almost everyone else he shared the ice with, allowing him to enter with fresher legs.

While many would love to see Hutson challenge for the Calder Trophy – and, honestly, he has a realistic shot at it – it’s best for the fanbase to keep realistic expectations for someone who has a bright future ahead of him.

For starters, Hutson won’t be able to dangle and show the same flash up the ice that he did in college. NHL defenders, especially much bigger ones in what’s shaping up to be a difficult Atlantic Division, won’t take getting embarrassed on the ice too lightly. Victor Hedman, Erik Cernak, Simon Benoit, Aaron Ekblad, Mortiz Seider and Owen Power won’t be overly friendly if you try and show them up in their own zone. So while that run-and-gone style has allowed Hutson to be so effective early on in his career, he’ll have to adapt to the time and space constraints moving forward. Given how creative he is – and how he continues to evolve his game with the puck – there are plenty of reasons to believe he’ll manage that fine, but it’s still going to be an adjustment, as it is for any young player coming into the league.

While Hutson can be an absolute wizard with the puck, he does find himself prone to some difficult giveaways, too. Like PK Subban in his early days in Montreal, expect Hutson to learn from his mistakes and improve. He’s coming into the fray at the right time; the Habs are still far from being legitimate contenders and can afford to let their young guys shine. Martin St. Louis’ willingness to let young players learn from their blunders in real-time against NHL competition as opposed to shipping them off to Laval has been fascinating to watch. If you can afford to do that, it can pay off massively, and that’s why the timing of Hutson’s move to pro hockey is notable – Hutson doesn’t need to worry about getting lost in the shuffle to veteran forces.

But that’s not to say some time with the Rocket wouldn’t benefit Hutson. Subban, for example, could have probably challenged for a full-time roster spot with the Canadiens in 2009-10 after finishing an excellent final year with the OHL’s Belleville Bulls. Instead, he led the AHL in goals as a defenseman and earned a spot on the league’s first all-star team – an incredible achievement.

However, one key takeaway for Subban that year was not only getting to play his own game the way he wanted to play it, but he also figured out how to be more effective in his zone. Subban could get overzealous in his zone early on, trying to force plays and act as a fourth forward. Instead, Subban became more controlled and started to read players much more effectively, and three years into his NHL career, he won the Norris Trophy as the top defenseman in the NHL.

Cole Caufield is another high-profile prospect who benefited from some time in the AHL. After amazing just about everyone during the Canadiens’ Stanley Cup final run in 2021, he struggled at points before the Canadiens hired St. Louis and was sent back to Laval. You saw him quickly regain his confidence, and now he’s already a 60-point producer in the NHL. One noticeable thing was Caufield was more engaged physically once he returned to Montreal, and while that’s not his game, his added muscle and knowledge on how to deal with physical battles allowed the 5-foot-8 winger to unlock new elements in his game by the time the Canadiens utilized him in a more prominent role.

Caufield and Hutson play wildly different positions, and Caufield only skated in six AHL games in 2021-22 before jumping back up to the big club. So, it’s not a direct comparison by any means. But with Hutson being on the smaller side of the size spectrum at 5-foot-10, there’s room for him to grow stronger. You could see the obvious effects of the weight room during his two years at BU (and an additional two inches in vertical latitude didn’t hurt).

The move to the NHL is difficult for any young player, no matter who you are. Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid and Connor Bedard all had their ups and downs. But for a smaller defenseman who hasn’t had to deal with heavy game loads the past two years, the grind of an 82-game NHL season can be one of the most challenging adjustments you have to make. So if Lane Hutson struggles out of the gate and gets sent down to Laval, that’s fine. He’s 20 years old and with so many great years of hockey ahead of him.

It’s not like finding ways to adapt as a smaller, quick-thinking defenseman is a foreign concept to Hutson. No matter the level of difficulties sent his way, Hutson has found ways to persevere. If you believe in the Canadiens coaching staff, there’s little reason to believe Hutson won’t be able to make it all work in the NHL – but it might take some time, and that’s fine.

Right now, just getting to a point where he’s as effective as he can be at both ends of the ice without being penalized for his mistakes is all you can ask for. It’s not an easy time to be a smaller defenseman in the NHL, but I wouldn’t bet against Hutson.

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