There were a lot of things happening on and off the ice on Tuesday night when the Montreal Canadiens took on the Seattle Kraken. The Ken Dryden tribute ceremony, the home opener ceremony, the players’ personalized introductions, and nine goals in an edge-of-your-seat type of game - it was all happening. But the one thing I was relieved about was seeing how free Lane Hutson looked.
It was his first game since signing his eight-year contract extension, and he played so much better than he had since the start of the season. He might have only got one assist, but he did much more than that. He looked just like what he is, a 21-year-old kid who loves playing hockey; he lives for it, and it showed last night.
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He blocked three shots, landed one hit, and took only one shot, but he was everywhere all night long. He skated with such a spring in his step that he looked even more shifty and elusive than he usually does, and it was never more evident than when he took all the heat away from Cole Caufield in the overtime period, allowing the sniper to thread the needle and score the game-winning goal.
That contract extension didn’t just set Hutson up for the future; it also set him free of worry for this season. He doesn’t need to worry about what his teammates think of the fact that he hasn’t signed yet; all that is now behind him.
The youngster has two points in four games so far, but the smart money says that now that that weight has come off his shoulders, he’ll be flying all over the ice and hit his cruising speed. He doesn’t have to have as many points as he did last season for his second year to be successful, but you know that if he doesn’t, he won’t be satisfied, even if he’s got a lot of money coming to him over the course of the next eight (well, nine with 2025) years.
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