Calder Trophy: Lane Hutson among the favourites

At training camp, we know that the battle at the blue line will be interesting to watch for the Habs. There are some youngsters who will be pushing for positions, and that will force them to play some big hockey.

Because clearly, there won’t be enough room for everyone.

Among those who will want to prove they deserve their place in the sun is Lane Hutson. The little defenseman, who impresses with his offensive skills, showed some great things last year, and we’ll see if, as P.K. Subban hopes, the Habs will “let him cook” in the NHL.

Obviously, we don’t know if he’ll be able to make the club. The fact that he doesn’t have to go through the waivers works against him, but if he proves he deserves his spot, he could force his GM’s hand.

And if he does, the fact that he’s an offensive defenseman means he’ll attract attention… and, by the same token, consideration for the Calder Trophy. And if you look at the bookies, you’ll see that they share this opinion.

In fact, at the moment, Hutson is in sixth place… but he’s much closer to fifth place (Will Smith) than seventh (Dustin Wolf).

What we notice is that, according to the bookies, there’s a group of six (of which Hutson is one) that really stands out from the crowd. There’s also a group of seven if you include Dustin Wolf, but he’s still a long way behind the six ahead of him.

What’s interesting is that the Habs defenseman finds himself in this position when his place in the lineup isn’t even guaranteed. You have to wonder whether we’re overestimating his chances of breaking into the line-up away from Montreal (or underestimating them in Montreal).

Unsurprisingly, Matvei Michkov tops the list, followed by four other forwards in Macklin Celebrini, Logan Stankoven, Cutter Gauthier and Will Smith. We’re talking about guys with the potential to score a ton of points in their rookie year.

And aside from Celebrini, we’re talking about guys who were drafted (at least) more than a year ago.

That said, Hutson (who is also one of those old rookies) has the profile of a guy who could earn himself some attention for the Calder. Should he play in the NHL this season, earn a spot on the first power-play wave and score 40-50 points, he’ll be hard to ignore.

40-50 points is a very high expectation for Hutson… but considering the quality of the competition for the Calder, it’s probably what he’ll need to take home the trophy.