The season Lane Hutson put together was truly special.
The Montreal Canadiens rookie was not only an impact player in his first NHL season, but he helped change the trajectory of the franchise, not only this season but going forward.
The historical nature of the Calder Trophy winner's season can not be understated. When you evaluate him with the eye test, you come away marvelling at the talent he brings. No matter how you look at Hutson’s freshman campaign, it’s wildly impressive.
Statistically, he was routinely putting his name in the record book as the season came to an end. He finished tied with the most assists by a rookie defenseman in NHL history, with 60, while tying for fourth all-time in total rookie D-man scoring with 66 points. Among the top 15 scoring rookie defenders in NHL history, only two others came after the high-scoring 1980s: Hall of Famer Nicklas Lidstrom’s 60 points in 1991-92 and Norris Trophy winner Quinn Hughes' 53 points in 2019-20.
When you surround yourself with Hall of Fame players and all-time greats in the record books, you’ve been doing something right.
Montreal has the most storied history of any hockey franchise, and Hutson planted his name among the greats in his rookie year. He surpassed the scoring totals of players such as Guy Lafleur, Chris Chelios and Guy Carbonneau, among countless others. Only Kjell Dahlin and Mats Naslund, both with 71 points, had more productive rookie seasons than Hutson, and both were forwards who debuted in the 1980s.
When you compare him to this year’s rookie crop, the argument for Hutson becomes clear, and the massive gap between him and the field becomes obvious. He led all rookies in scoring, only the fourth defenseman since 1943-44 to do so. Hutson had three more points than Matvei Michkov and Macklin Celebrini, two high-caliber forwards with incredible hype coming into the season.
But Hutson’s impact goes beyond the stat sheet. His dynamism changed the way that Montreal was able to play.
Mike Matheson is a very good puck-mover. Kaiden Guhle is a blossoming two-way beast. What Hutson brings is inherently cerebral.
He gave Montreal the ability to attack in a more free-flowing fashion. He altered how they ran their offense at 5-on-5 because Hutson was such a willing combatant in the offensive zone, attacking deep into the zone or sliding into space when away from the puck. His passing and vision were otherworldly. His teammates had to adjust to his game early in the year because he made plays that 95 percent of defenders in the NHL simply have no shot at doing.
His presence on the power play was even more pronounced. He made the Montreal top unit lethal at times. His prowess alongside the likes of Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki and Juraj Slafkovsky was impressive. He consistently attacked the slot and found himself in dangerous positions.
Hutson helped Montreal accelerate its rebuild and get into the playoffs this season by bringing the missing offensive punch it’s been searching for over the past decade. Replicating his point totals from this year is going to be difficult, but his skill and raw talent should allow him to continue developing his game and adding layers in all three zones. The chances of Hutson not surpassing 50 points are as good as they are that he becomes a 70-plus-point defender.
The Canadiens have their top offensive defenseman of the future. Hutson has the juice to end up in the same conversations as Josh Morrissey, Shea Theodore and even Hughes. The offensive skill he possesses is incredible in so many ways.
With Ivan Demidov coming in, the Habs will continue to build an offensive machine with Hutson being the engine on the back end. Demidov will be looking to give the Habs back-to-back Calder Trophy winners when he embarks on his rookie season in the fall. Hutson will be a major factor in Demidov finding success because their elite puck skill and dynamic offense will mesh so perfectly. We’ve already seen glimpses of it at the end of the year and in the playoffs.
Hutson has been half-jokingly called “Superstar Lane Hutson” for a few years now, but there’s no joke anymore. He has become a superstar, and it’s not a question.
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