Lane Hutson is right in the thick of the Calder race and right now, it’s too close to call. But being in the midst of that and in playoff position shows the impact the talented blueliner has had on the Montreal Canadiens.

The NHL chronicled how close the vote was in the notice:

Lane Hutson, who paced all rookies in the month of March with 14 assists and 15 points in 14 games (1-14—15) to lift the Canadiens (34-30-9, 77 points) into the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, has been named the NHL’s “Rookie of the Month” for March. Hutson edged Philadelphia Flyers right wing Matvei Michkov (5-9—14 in 16 GP), Anaheim Ducks left wing Cutter Gauthier (3-10—13 in 15 GP), St. Louis Blues center Zack Bolduc (8-3—11 in 15 GP), and San Jose Sharks teammates Will Smith (4-7—11 in 13 GP) and Macklin Celebrini (3-8—11 in 13 GP) for the honor.

Hutson pierces the offensive zone like few can. His stick and puck control has always been exceptional. I knew when I was watching him with the NTDP and covering more than a few of his games live that he had a chance to be a good NHL player. There was always a question about how far could his offense take him and it’s going to go further than many thought including me.

The fact that he’s averaging over 22 minutes a game and his 59 points in 73 games is amazing. For the people saying he’s not great defensively, he’s blocked 109 shots. Does he have a few too many giveaways, yes, but that will get better but the positives far outweigh anything else.

He’s the fifth best scoring defenseman in the NHL! I saw the Canadiens beat the Rangers in 1979. Back then, their stud defenseman was Larry Robinson. We talked about that team in my new book Game Winners.

Lane Hutson Wins Rookie of the Month Honors