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Lane Hutson: so dominant we don’t even talk about it

 Jessica Williams
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Lane Hutson: so dominant we don’t even talk about it
Credit: Getty Images

Lane Hutson is so dominant that we don’t even talk about it anymore.

At the start of camp, he was the flavor of the moment. Everyone was talking about his passes and feints, and there was a certain excitement about him. And understandably so: he’d been eagerly awaited for several years.

Every time he did something, people talked about it.

Then training camp took a strange turn. Preparatory matches became fighting matches, and the focus shifted to other issues.

It seemed to be quickly understood that this guy would make the club and play alongside David Savard, and that the matter was settled. And in a way, it’s true: we had to focus on what we didn’t know.

But still: it’s impressive that if yesterday’s duos hold up, Hutson could play the opening game on the Montreal Canadiens’ top-4. That’s no mean feat.

While we wonder if the other youngsters will play often and if Logan Mailloux will be recalled quickly, we wonder if Lane Hutson will win the Calder Trophy.

Pretty much everyone assumes that he won’t be skipping his turn anytime soon, and that he’ll be stepping up his game on the powerplay.

The hope, in Hutson’s case, is that he won’t take anything for granted. After all, the challenge of playing on the defensive top-4 (that seems to be the plan) will be imposing for a small rookie player.

He won’t have to take his foot off the gas pedal. He’ll have to push himself night after night. He’ll have to take care of his defensive game. But above all, he’ll have to be himself on the ice.

If the Habs have given him such a (nice) place in their line-up, it’s because he has qualities that the others don’t. No other defenseman on the club has ever been able to do that. None of the club’s defensemen has the potential to set the Bell Centre ablaze the way the American can.

But he’ll have to work hard to earn his place. And he’ll have to do it with the understanding that an NHL season is a roller-coaster ride.

In recent years, he has proved that no challenge is too big for him. But the next challenge is huge: not only will he have to play well in the NHL, but he’ll have to do it on a regular basis.

He did it for two games against Detroit last year. Now it’s up to him to be ready for a lot more… and even though he’ll have a tough time of it, I don’t want to bet against him.

I can see him starting to make a name for himself again… even though his goal is probably not to make a name for himself, but to help the Flanelle win hockey games and be #InTheMix this season.


Overtime

– The Habs want to make the playoffs.

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