While Montreal Canadiens [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens]' blueliner Lane Hutson had a slow start to the season amidst the contract negotiation talk, once the matter was sorted, his play noticeably picked up, and he’s now on pace for an 82-point season. In 42 games, the 5-foot-9 rearguard has a plus-13 rating, and in his last five games, he’s gathered seven points. Three of his previous four games were multi-point efforts, and it’s easy to understand what Kent Hughes meant when he said he didn’t expect Hutson to be so good, so fast, in his mid-season review. Much of the reason for Hutson’s success is just how good he is at puck possession. Despite his small frame, when he has the puck, it’s hard to take it away from him, as evidenced by his puck possession numbers. On Tuesday, Meghan Chayka published a telling Stathletes table highlighting NHL leaders in the percentage of time on ice with the puck, and the 21-year-old comes in second place. Canadiens: Taking On The Struggling Flames [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/game-day/canadiens-taking-on-the-struggling-flames] Canadiens: Laine Continues Rehab With Adam Nicholas [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/latest-news/canadiens-laine-continues-rehab-with-adam-nicholas] Canadiens: Hughes Believes His Team Is Ahead of Schedule [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/latest-news/canadiens-hughes-believes-his-team-is-ahead-of-schedule] Newly minted Minnesota Wild [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/minnesota-wild] blueliner Quinn Hughes comes in first at 14.52%, while Hutson gets second place with 12.40%. New York Islanders [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders] star rookie Matthew Schaefer is third at 11.95%, which is quite impressive given how limited his NHL experience is. Hutson’s dominant puck-possession numbers are hardly surprising, given how often we’ve heard coach Martin St-Louis say the defenseman wants to be the guy, wants to have the puck when a big play is needed. The ease with which he can escape opponents is also part of the reason why he spends so much time with the puck on his stick. His mobility and creativity make him unpredictable for his opponents, and sometimes even for his teammates, who cannot believe the plays he pulls off, a clear sign of his high hockey IQ. This is part of the reason he can link up so well with Ivan Demidov, who also has that same kind of instinct for the game. When the Canadiens have a 5-on-3 power play, and they try to go without Hutson, using Noah Dobson instead, the man-advantage is too static and predictable. Dobson has a rocket of a shot, but he’s not as creative a passer as Hutson, and it shows. At such a young age, it’s impressive to see just how patient Hutson can be with the puck; he doesn’t rush his plays. He either waits for the perfect opportunity or creates it from scratch, but he’s not a Hail Mary kind of guy. He might have taken more risks when he came into the NHL, but he’s become much more calculated and better at both reading and managing the game. Whatever the mission, Hutson can do it. At even strength, on the power play or on the penalty kill, he’s always ready to report for duty. St-Louis may try to avoid using him on the PK, but when Mike Matheson had to miss some time, Hutson showed he could do it all. The eight-year contract he signed with the team has a cap hit of $8,850,000, and the more he plays, the clearer it becomes that it’s a team-friendly deal. Over the next eight years, the youngster will be worth every single cent of those $70.8 million. While he wasn’t named to the Team USA roster last week, it’s only logical to think that he will be one day, even if it’s not for Milan. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Follow Karine on X @KarineHains [https://x.com/KarineHains] Bluesky @karinehains.bsky.social [https://bsky.app/profile/karinehains.bsky.social] and Threads @karinehains [https://www.threads.net/@karinehains]. Bookmark The Hockey News Canadiens' page [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/] for all the news and happenings around the Canadiens. Join the discussion by signing up to the Canadiens' roundtable [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens] on The Hockey News. Image [https://cdn.ramp-assets.playwire.com/1025444/76033/house_ads/file-1762367418209.jpg] Subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free [https://thehockeynews.store/products/print-subscription]. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here [http://eepurl.com/i7OC4I].
