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No, the Sharks would not trade Macklin Celebrini for Lane Hutson, but…

 Félix Forget
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No, the Sharks would not trade Macklin Celebrini for Lane Hutson, but…
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Lane Hutson is having a first (full) season in the NHL that exceeds expectations. The defenseman, who has 30 points in 40 games, is already among the elite offensive defensemen in the Bettman circuit.

Only six defensemen have more points than him this season… and most importantly, he is the top scorer among rookies, ahead of Matvei Michkov and Macklin Celebrini.

In Montreal, all of this makes us love the kid, and rightfully so. However, it also leads to interesting debates… including one that was raised on On jase today.

In fact, Martin Lemay, Yanick Lévesque, and André Roy asked the following question: if the Sharks called the Habs to finalize a Celebrini/Hutson trade, what would you do in Kent Hughes’s place?

Here is the complete excerpt:

I will answer the question: I don’t see a world where the Sharks would accept such an offer. Celebrini has 28 points in 31 games this season, he is already a quality #1 center, and everything suggests that he has the potential to become one of the best players in the NHL shortly.

But…

I’m not ready to say the question is ridiculous, because with Hutson, the Habs also have a high-quality player. A defenseman leading rookies in points at the halfway mark of the season is not something we see often.

Before Hutson, there were Nicklas Lidstrom and Bobby Orr… and that’s it.

Between a premier offensive defenseman or an elite first center, the center is often seen as the most important piece. Think of the Avalanche, for example: Cale Makar may be the best offensive defenseman in the NHL, but Nathan MacKinnon is still seen as the best player on that team.

Hutson and Celebrini are not Makar and MacKinnon (at least not for now), but you get the point.

However, the mere fact that this is a debate demonstrates one thing: in 2022, the Habs drafted a prospect late in the second round who, two and a half years later, threatens to disrupt their salary scale and is being placed in the same vein as the first overall pick from the last draft… who is not exactly a slouch.

The Canadiens have a good one in Hutson, and even if the Sharks wouldn’t give Celebrini to acquire him, it doesn’t change the fact that both clubs can be satisfied with their young player. It’s great to see them dominate in the NHL after they did the same as teammates in the NCAA last year.


In Brief

– Sean Monahan is having a great season in Columbus.

– Speaking of offensive defensemen.

– A name to remember.

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