Points aren’t important to Lane Hutson: he just wants to win

The moment all Canadiens fans had been waiting for finally arrived at the end of last season.

Lane Hutson finally made his National League debut.

The defenseman was with the Montreal squad for the last two games of the campaign, and he wowed the gallery as if he were still playing in the NCAA.

Hutson collected two points in two games, but there’s more to it than that.

Beyond his offensive production, he impressed with his decision-making and the fluidity of his skating. He didn’t (really) look like a stressed-out guy on the ice, and we saw just how gifted he is offensively.

That said, all eyes will be on him next training camp. Everyone will be watching to see if he can step up like he did in the two games against the Red Wings, and that’s going to be exciting for the club’s fans.

Because you don’t often see offensive defensemen like him in Montreal. Hutson has what it takes to pick up several points a season, and he knows it.

But even if he’s aware of his talent, points aren’t important to him.

And the reason is simple: Hutson wants to win above all else, as he told Torey Mitchell’s podcast:

I want to do whatever it takes to win at this level (in the NHL). – Lane Hutson

Lane Hutson is an offensive defenseman.

But the fact that he doesn’t necessarily think about it proves that he’s already reached a certain level of maturity.

Because if Lane Hutson does his job properly on the ice, the points will come with time. It’s by playing the right way that the points will come, and it’s also by playing the right way that he’ll give the Habs a better chance of winning.

That applies in his case, and it applies in the case of any other NHL player.

I can’t wait, however, to see the relationship that develops between Martin St-Louis and the little defenseman.

I have a feeling that St-Louis will tell him to “play his game” and have fun on the ice, much as he does with the club’s other young players.

And if Lane Hutson “plays his game”, things should go well.

In Overtime

– One-year contract for Adam Boqvist in Florida.

We have agreed to terms with defenseman Adam Boqvist on a one-year, two-way contract!

” https://t.co/rpE9npVNzm pic.twitter.com/ay9eTg3Ogn

– Florida Panthers (@FlaPanthers) July 9, 2024