Who would you rather have: Canadiens’ Lane Hutson or Flames’ Dustin Wolf?

The race for the Calder Trophy has been one of the most exciting aspects of the 2024-25 NHL season.

On Friday’s episode of Daily Faceoff LIVE, Frank Seravalli and Tyler Yaremchuk debated if they could start a franchise with one player, would they rather choose Montreal Canadiens rookie rearguard Lane Hutson or Calgary Flames freshman goaltender Dustin Wolf.

Tyler Yaremchuk: I think this is an interesting conversation as far as where do you start if you could build a team. Do you go in net? Do you pick the defenseman? If you were starting a franchise today and I told you that you could either have Hutson or Wolf, which one would you rather have?

Frank Seravalli: I am picking Hutson. As much as Wolf seems to be a unicorn, he has been highly decorated at the AHL level, and now steps into the NHL level and has been basically dragging his team into a fight for a Stanley Cup Playoffs spot – as impressive as that is – I think you can probably get some modicum of goaltending from a bunch of different sources that aren’t a high-end player or prospect. I think that is the differentiator. I don’t think you can get your hands on a Hutson-level difference maker quite as easily. That’s not to say Wolf grows on trees. That’s not my point. It’s just that I think the position is easier to fill than finding yourself someone who can do what Hutson has done. [He has] 50 assists in a rookie season as a defenseman. We’re talking about five players in NHL history who have done that. It’s special, special stuff. That said, the funny part about what I’m saying is, if the Flames get in [to the playoffs], I am voting Wolf first on my Calder Trophy ballot.

You can watch the full segment and the rest of the episode here: