Nobody, not the Montreal Canadiens, not Lane Hutson and certainly not his agent, thought that this year would turn out the way it did for the rookie defenseman.
Hutson tied the rookie record for assists, led all freshmen in scoring, was seventh in scoring among defensemen league-wide, revived Montreal's power play and was a key reason why the Canadiens made the playoffs in a season nobody expected them to do so.
And they're getting off relatively cheaply here. In addition to his $950,000 base salary per puckpedia.com, Hutson will receive $750,000 in what are known as 'A-level' bonuses, an amount that will be added to the Canadiens' payroll next season. If he has a similar season in 2025-26, he'll be eligible for $400,000 in bonuses. But because Hutson was a second-round pick and not a first-rounder, his 'A-level' bonuses were limited.
He could have been eligible to collect $1 million in 'A-level' bonuses this season and another $1 million next season if he has similar numbers. And he wasn't even given 'B-level' bonuses, which he would have achieved this season by finishing seventh league-wide in scoring among defensemen. The bonus for that? Well, uh, $2.5 million. Ouch.
No worries, Hutson and his representatives will be aiming to make that up in the next deal, which they can negotiate this summer.
Here's more in today's video column:
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