Skip to content
Your daily dose of hockey

Lane Hutson deserves to earn more money than Nick Suzuki.

Charles-Alexis Brisebois
Share : facebook icon twitter icon
Lane Hutson deserves to earn more money than Nick Suzuki.
Credit: Getty Images
Kent Hughes, since taking office, has not been afraid to offer good contracts to his young players.

Cole Caufield (eight years), Juraj Slafkovsky (eight years), and Kaiden Guhle (six years) have all earned long-term contracts without having to go through the notorious bridge contract.

Hughes also inherited Nick Suzuki’s (eight years) contract, which was signed by Marc Bergevin.

The Suzuki contract has always been a benchmark for Kent Hughes in his negotiations. Because aside from Patrik Laine, who already had a cap hit of $8.7 million, no contract has been offered by the current GM above Suzuki’s.

You might say that Carey Price is still on the payroll of the Habs, but well.

All this to say that one day, there will likely be a player who will earn more than the $7.875 million per year that the captain earns thanks to Kent Hughes. The name Ivan Demidov comes to mind…

But in the short term, it’s mainly Lane Hutson’s name that stands out to me. And Pierre McGuire too…

Because Lane Hutson plays in a prime position, performs excellently on the ice, is young, has only begun to tap into his potential, the salary cap is set to increase, the Habs like him, and he’s one of the best point producers, he will have a big contract.

If Slaf had one after a good half-season, Hutson can have one after a good full season, right? Even if he’s not a first overall pick…

This must occupy the GM’s thoughts.

It’s worth noting that Hutson, by playing two games last April, burned the first year of his entry-level contract in 2023-2024. He is now in his second year of three on his contract this season.

Starting July 1, 2025, he will be eligible to sign a contract extension that would kick in on July 1, 2026. And as time passes, more and more people think that this could happen.

And if he signs, it surely won’t be at a low price. After all, he is so special…

Let’s remember that this season, Mike Matheson ($4.875 million until 2026), Alexandre Carrier ($3.75 million until 2027), and David Savard ($3.5 million until 2025) are the highest-paid defensemen on the Habs.

Next year, Savard will be gone, and Kaiden Guhle ($5.55 million until 2031) will be the highest-paid defenseman on the team – assuming nothing changes, of course.


in brief

– John Tavares is injured.

– Robert Saleh in Dallas would be… something.

– I like it.

– Things are stirring in Toronto.

More Content