At last year’s draft, the Canadiens selected Florian Xhekaj. It’s rare for a fourth-round pick to catch the eye, but it obviously caused a stir in Montreal, given that he’s Arber’s younger brother.
We’ve basically reunited the family.
That said, Florian isn’t the only brother of a Habs player in the world of professional hockey. Ryan Suzuki has been with the Hurricanes for several years, and Morgan Barron is with the Jets.
On the other hand, a few years ago, Brock Caufield, Cole’s older brother, joined the Maple Leafs. Of course, nobody blamed the kid, but it was funny to see him join the Canadiens’ rival.
Now, it seems that the Leafs have taken a liking to “stealing” the brothers of Habs players, as according to Grant McCagg (and confirmed by Cole Hutson, Lane’s younger brother) at the Recrutes Draftcast, Quinn Hutson (the older brother of both) will be at the Maple Leafs’ development camp.
You need to know that Quinn Hutson isn’t as promising a prospect as his two younger brothers. At 22, the forward doesn’t necessarily seem destined for the NHL, even though he scored 36 points in 40 games at Boston University (with Lane) in the NCAA last year.
That said, he could potentially become a good player in the AHL, which isn’t a bad thing either.
However, one wonders whether, after “stealing” Quinn, the Maple Leafs might be tempted to “steal” Cole Hutson at the next draft. The defenseman, whose style is not far from Lane’s, is expected to go somewhere between the end of the first round and the beginning of the second.
He’s a potential target for the Habs at No. 26 (if that pick isn’t traded)… but the Leafs could take the wind out of the sails of his rival by selecting him with their own first-round pick, the 23rd of the auction. And if the Habs don’t select him 26th, he’ll almost certainly be gone by the next round, scheduled for 57th (Avalanche pick acquired in return for Artturi Lehkonen). Remember that the Habs don’t have their own second-round pick, who was traded to the Coyotes for Christian Dvorak (and now belongs to the Jets).
It’s worth noting that during this interview, Cole stated that he’s nearly 5 feet 11 inches tall, but that we won’t be seeing him test at the Combine as he’s still recovering from a minor injury.
So we’ll have to keep an eye on him, but after Brock Caufield, the Leafs are looking at the Hutson family. We can’t wait to see if we get two of them…
In gossip
– Obviously.
Cole Hutson on Lane not being drafted in the 1st round: “It pushed him harder than it ever has”
Full pod
Watch: https://t.co/nOzbCSTEWI
Listen: https://t.co/JRTy1HIhr6#GoHabsGo #thesickpodcast @grantmccagg @GaumondShayne pic.twitter.com/tDT1CDkHuo– The Sick Podcast – Recrutes Draftcast (@sickpodnhldraft) June 1, 2024
– Jarome Iginla stays out of Flames discussions about his son, Tij.
Jarome Iginla very cautious about his son: https://t.co/QkIW0ZIVKi
– TVA Sports (@TVASports) June 1, 2024
– Speaking of the draft.
McKeen’s 2024 NHL Draft Guide: Top 32 Final Rankings
Our scouting team has finalized the top 32 ahead of the 2024 NHL Draft! Macklin Celebrini remains our top pick, with Ivan Demidov, Sam Dickinson, Cayden Lindstrom, and Tij Iginla rounding out the top 5.
Explore the full… pic.twitter.com/v7M4O79jMD
– McKeen’s Hockey (@mckeenshockey) June 1, 2024
– Well deserved.
Huskies’ William Rousseau wins Canada’s Goaltender of the Year award. It’s the second year in a row that this has happened, after Nathan Darveau of the Tigres last year.
We have to go back to the late 1990s to see the QMJHL win this honor two years in a row….
– Mikaël Lalancette (@MikLalancette) June 1, 2024
– Hard blow to Toronto.
The Blue Jays will have to get creative with their bullpen. https://t.co/SyZY7HDfoz
– Passion MLB (@passion_mlb) June 1, 2024
– Happy reading.
For @AlleyOop360, I wrote about Mavericks GM Nico Harrison’s work at the trade deadline.
Little-known names P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford changed everything in Dallas, and they’re the reason the Mavs are in the Finals.
Read moreicihttps://t.co/naNuiofq96
– Félix Forget (@FForget_LTM) June 1, 2024