Are the Canadiens giving too much ice time to Lane Hutson? Every year, people gather for Thanksgiving to celebrate things they are thankful for. Today, we look at three things Montreal Canadiens [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/] fans can be grateful for during the 2024-25 season. 3. TSN VOTED MONTREAL AS THE TOP TEAM WITH A CORE UNDER 24 The Canadiens are just three seasons removed from playing for the Stanley Cup Final and just two seasons removed from winning the NHL Draft Lottery. Since then, the franchise has acquired a boatload of elite prospects [https://www.tsn.ca/nhl/montreal-canadiens-are-no-1-in-tsn-s-annual-nhl-team-ranking-of-u-24-players-1.2207606], most of whom are already dressed for the team. Whether it's Cole Caufield, Juraj Slafkovsky, Lane Hutson, or Kaiden Guhle, Montreal is slowly piecing together its best crop of young talent since the 1980s, which saw the club in the Stanley Cup Final twice in four seasons. Despite the growing pains and their current position in the standings, it's impressive that reinforcements like Ivan Demidov, Jacob Fowler, and Michael Hage are still on the way. 2. UNLUCKY NO. 13 The number 13 is deemed unlucky in most sports circles, although some pretty special players have had magical careers while wearing the number. Oct 19, 2024; Elmont, New York, USA; Montreal Canadiens right wing Cole Caufield (13) celebrates his goal against the New York Islanders during the third period at UBS Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Schneidler-Imagn Images [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjEwMTQ0NTk2ODcxNjE5OTYy/caufield.jpg] Oct 19, 2024; Elmont, New York, USA; Montreal Canadiens right wing Cole Caufield (13) celebrates his goal against the New York Islanders during the third period at UBS Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Schneidler-Imagn Images Caufield switched his number [https://thehockeynews.com/news/cole-caufields-number-change-wednesdays-vigils-speak-volumes-of-johnny-gaudreaus-impact] to pay respects to his former teammate Johnny Gaudreau and continues to defy expectations, remaining on pace for a career season at just 23. Despite cooling off with just three goals in November after ten in October, Caufield remains Montreal's most lethal offensive weapon and has proven nightly that he can flip on a switch and score a big goal. It's been a long time since a Canadiens player has scored 40 goals, and Caufield looks positioned to break that streak. 1. LANE HUTSON DANGLES Hutson is billed at 5-foot-9 and 158 lbs [https://www.hockey-reference.com/players/h/hutsola01.html], but the 20-year-old skates like he's already a multi-time Norris Trophy winner. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLDkGl9AqE0[/embed] Canadiens fans are still waiting for the rookie to score his first goal, but for now, every time the kid picks up the puck, everyone gets on the edge of their seat, waiting for him to work his magic. Considering no one has a playbook on him yet, he continues to spoil people's attempts to take the puck away from him, whether on the blueline or in the corner. No matter what happens this season, Montreal will be thankful they gave Hutson a spot on the opening night roster because, outside of Caufield's goal total, the rookie defender has been the highlight of the up-and-down season. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bookmark THN's Montreal Canadiens [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/] site for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and more.
