The Vegas Golden Knights were going through an awful stretch of games where they couldn't keep the puck out of their net but things started to turn around when Ben Hutton was brought back into the lineup.

The Vegas Golden Knights were going through an awful stretch of games where they couldn't keep the puck out of their net but things started to turn around when Ben Hutton was brought back into the lineup. 

Hutton has scored two goals and 10 points in 37 games this season for the Golden Knights. Those are admirable numbers for a defenseman who plays on the third pairing but his work defensively for the Golden Knights is what the team appreciates. 

According to MoneyPuck Hutton has played over 100 minutes with both Alex Pietrangelo and Zach Whitecloud. Those two pairings lead the Golden Knights in XGoals%. Hutton and Whitecloud have the best XGoals against per 60 minutes on the team by quite some margin. Their 1.43 is followed by Brayden McNabb and Kaeden Korzczak's 2.04.

HC Bruce Cassidy has acknowledged the recent play of Hutton and praised him for it.

"He's a great pro, he works hard every day. When he gets his opportunity, he's gone in and done a good job for us so there's a lot to be said for that and I don't think people realize how hard that is to do in our business so that's why you keep an older guy around to do that because he's been there and done that and has the professionalism to understand why."

Cassidy also spoke about what Hutton has provided the Golden Knights on the back end. 

"He's given us a little bit more mobility back there, puck-moving and gaps. Things like that where I think our game started to drift a little bit."

The 30-year-old Canadian has bounced around in his career and is now playing on his fifth team in his career. He played four seasons with the Vancouver Canucks before playing just one season each with the Los Angeles Kings, Anaheim Ducks and Toronto Maple Leafs. 

Hutton signed a two-year contract extension with an AAV of $975,000 with the Golden Knights back on Dec. 22. When his contract expires, the Golden Knights will be the team Hutton played the longest with and could end up being the team he's played the most games with. 

One thing that has always followed Hutton is his infectious personality which his teammates rave about. Whether it's making his teammates laugh in the pregame soccer circle or performing 'Barbie Girl', Hutton is a player the Golden Knights are happy to have on their roster. 

Hutton was out of the lineup for a long time, never complained and is now performing at a critical time. 

"At the end of the day he's just playing good hockey for us," says Cassidy. 

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