Lane Hutson file: Kent Hughes is in Minnesota to see him

As you no doubt know, the plan – if all goes well – is for Lane Hutson to leave Boston University and head for Montreal in the next few days. The goal? For him to sign his first pro contract quickly.

He can’t do that yet, since his college season isn’t over… but it is winding down.

In fact, since Hutson is in the Frozen Four of U.S. college hockey, he only has one or two games left before his season comes to an end.

At 5pm this afternoon, he’ll play an NCAA semi-final game against Denver, and if he wins, he’ll play in the final, which takes place on Saturday. In other words, the end of his season is fast approaching.

And as Renaud Lavoie tells us, Kent Hughes is currently in Minnesota – where the final games of the NCAA season take place – to see him play.

And he just might come back with said gem https://t.co/hqGRaewse8

– TVA Sports (@TVASports) April 11, 2024

What this means is that as soon as Hutson is eliminated (or crowned, if he wins his next two games), he can start talking to Kent Hughes about signing his NHL entry-level contract.

The fans are waiting for him, in any case.

Of course, you’d think Hughes would also be there to see Luke Tuch (a teammate of Lane Hutson who may become a free agent this summer), Sam Harris (Denver) and Jacob Fowler (Boston College), while he’s at it…

But the #1 reason for his trip to Minnesota is clearly to see ~~Bill Guerin~~ Lane Hutson and get him to sign a contract.

Remember that officially, an NCAA player can’t have an agent and a pro contract to keep his NCAA eligibility. That said, it’s safe to assume that it won’t take Hughes several weeks to get him to sign his first contract with the Habs.

We’ll see next year whether he’ll have to go through Laval (like Sean Farrell in 2023) or make the club (like Jordan Harris in 2022) for the 2024-2025 season, but right now, expect to see him play a game or two in the NHL against Detroit next week.

In brief

– Alex Burrows turns 43.

Happy birthday to Canadiens assistant coach Alex Burrows, who turns 43 today #Habs #HabsIO pic.twitter.com/o0qIZeQGGi

– Stu Cowan (@StuCowan1) April 11, 2024

– Hum…

There are negotiations along those lines. https://t.co/C8NbbB5Gpd

– Passion MLB (@passion_mlb) April 11, 2024

– Florian Xhekaj is nicknamed The Deputy.

#Habs prospect Florian Xhekaj on if he wants his nickname from junior – The Deputy – to stick in the #AHL with Laval: “whatever the fans want to call me, I’m good with.”

– Priyanta Emrith (@HabsInHighHeels) April 10, 2024

– The Habs and Gary Bettman probably didn’t like seeing Éric Girard speak publicly about wanting the Habs in Quebec City and meeting with the commissioner in New York.[JdeM]

– Indeed.

Vincent Damphousse is impressed by Juraj Slafkfovsky’s rapid progression pic.twitter.com/npDGcQuJP1

– L’Antichambre (@Antichambre) April 11, 2024