Before the New York Islanders traded blueliner Noah Dobson to the Montreal Canadiens, there were plenty of rumours about the 25-year-old’s salary demands. It was reported to be higher than $10 million and even upwards of $11 million according to some. Once the trade was made, though, the contract extension signed with the Isles was announced, and most were pleased to find out that he had signed an 8-year deal with a reasonable $9.5 million AAV.
Now, since Lane Hutson is about to enter the last year of his ELC and he’s eligible to sign a contract extension, the talk of the town is about how much the sophomore defenseman will sign for. There are a couple of things to consider when answering that question.
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First and foremost, it’s worth being aware that when the new CBA kicks in for the 2026-27 season, the maximum length of a contract extension with a player’s team will go down to seven years. If I’m Kent Hughes, I want to ink my sophomore defenseman to a new deal while I can still sign him for eight years. At least, there’s no need to worry about a potential offer sheet, since he’s only played two professional seasons (the two games played in his first year do not meet the 10-game threshold to qualify as a season), he’s not eligible to receive an offer sheet.
As things stand, if Hughes manages to sign Hutson before he plays his sophomore season, I believe he could make an argument for him to sign for less or the same amount as Dobson is making. After all, he’s got less experience, this is only his second contract in the NHL, and once the deal expires, he will be able to chase the big bucks as an unrestricted free agent. Furthermore, I trust Hughes to make a pitch to Hutson about agreeing to play for less to have a better team, much like he did with Cole Caufield and Juraj Slafkovsky, who both signed for less money than Nick Suzuki.
The GM could also make the argument that he tends to sign smaller contracts when it’s a player’s second deal than when it is a third, which is what he told the press when questioned about the fact that Dobson was effectively becoming the team’s highest-paid player. He explained that it had completely different parameters since it was Dobson’s third deal, and you can’t compare apples and oranges. I’m not sure that argument will carry a lot of weight, but still, that’s what he said.
If the youngster refuses to sign this Summer and prefers to play his sophomore season, it becomes a bit of a crapshoot. Perhaps he could have another great season and come to the negotiating table with even more leverage, or he could become a victim of the sophomore slump and give Hughes more power. If the latter scenario comes to life, the GM might still be able to sign him for less than Dobson or an equal amount to him, but if the former scenario comes to fruition, I believe Hutson will sign for more.
That being said, I’ve rarely seen a player eat, live, and breathe hockey as Hutson does, so I do not believe he’ll be after a ridiculous amount of money. I do not see him as a player who needs to have the highest salary at his position across the league. Especially since he’s become an instant fan favorite in Montreal, and this will translate to plenty of publicity contracts and sponsorship, his earning power will be very high.
As things stand, Dobson will be the sixth-highest-paid defenseman behind Erik Karlsson ($11.5 M), Rasmus Dahlin ($11 M), Drew Doughty ($11 M), Evan Bouchard ($10.5 M), and Zach Werenski ($9.583 M) in 2025-2026. There’s a two-million difference between Dobson and Karlsson, and I would be shocked if Hutson aimed for $11.5 M.
In the end, Hughes might concede making Hutson the highest-paid defensemen on the team, in which case, $10 M would be a fair number in my opinion considering Hughes will try to keep the cost as low as possible by selling him to the idea that the less he takes, the more he leaves for the team to have more quality players.
At this stage, all this is only speculation, but you can bet that if he doesn’t sign this Summer, this will remain the talk of the town throughout the season, and it will not be a welcome distraction.
Photo credit: Marc DesRosiers-Imagn Images
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