Montreal Canadiens defenseman Lane Hutson still has a year left on his ELC, but he’s been eligible to sign an extension since July 1, and he hasn’t. What’s the rush? It’s not about him being signed to an offer sheet next offseason, since he won’t be eligible. It’s about keeping the cost reasonable.

Hutson has had a fantastic rookie season, and unless he catches a nasty case of the sophomore jinx, he’s going to have another good one and raise his price tag even more. Are the Canadiens gambling that things won’t go according to plan with the youngster? I don’t believe they are.

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Kent Hughes has shown he’s ready to pay for more than the player has done so far, and for what the Canadiens believe he will do, you only need to look at Juraj Slafkovsky’s contract to know that.

On The Sick Podcast, Pierre McGuire says the reason Hutson hasn’t been inked to a new contract is because a new CBA will soon be coming into force, but I’m not sure I understand his point. He goes on to say that under the existing CBA, players can be signed to an eight-year deal by their current team, while the new one will only allow a seven-year pact. That’s true. But that doesn’t mean teams won’t be able to sign an eight-year contract next offseason. The new CBA only comes into force on September 16, 2026. Until then, teams can still ink eight-year deals with their player.

Hughes and Jeff Gorton are fully aware of what they have in their hands with Lane Hutson, and there’s no doubt they want to keep him for as long as they possibly can. Chances are, they know the youngster will break the bank and deservedly so, but if the Hutson clan wants to play the last season of the ELC before signing, they’re within their right to do so, and given the fact that he won’t be eligible for an offer sheet means there is no rush.

Since he signed when he was between the ages of 18 and 21, Hutson would need three years of professional experience to be eligible to be courted by another team. The CBA defines a year of professional experience as a year in which a player has played at least 10 professional games. In the first year of professional hockey, Hutson only skated in two games with the Canadiens.

In other words, burning the first year of his ELC contract worked out pretty well with the Canadiens. Whatever the reason for the delay is, there’s no reason to panic; Hutson’s rights are and will remain with the Canadiens for years to come.

Photo credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images

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