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Lane Hutson: Jeff Gorton never believed in the idea of seeing him play in the American League.
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Often, a young player must pass through the American League before establishing himself for good in the National League.

We see guys drafted in the first round who play in the AHL, and that doesn’t discredit them.

After all, the goal of teams is to see their young players progress so that they can reach the NHL and stay there.

In Montreal, we see this notably with several young players. Mailloux, Beck, Engström, Roy (to name just a few)… These guys have qualities that could one day be utilized by the Canadiens (or another NHL team), and they are continuing their learning process down there.

There are a few exceptions, however.

In Montreal, there is a 20-year-old who is impressing with the Habs right now, and you will understand that I am talking about Lane Hutson.

That said, before seeing him make the jump to the professionals, we often heard the same phrase regarding the defenseman: “he will need time in the American League to get accustomed to the more physical game… because he is too small.”

This notion never convinced Jeff Gorton… Because Lane Hutson is an extremely talented player, according to the principal interested party (The Sick Podcast – The Eye Test) :

At first, people talked about Laval for Hutson. But I don’t think that was really going to happen. – Jeff Gorton

The Canadiens’ VP took the time to praise his defenseman – and rightly so.

Jeff Gorton also wanted to send a message to Lane Hutson’s detractors by saying that the player “is more than” capable of defending.

He praised Hutson’s defensive play because he puts in the effort to defend well and because he is capable of going into the corner with bigger players and coming out with the puck.

That’s not false!

Hutson deserves to receive accolades because he leads rookies in several different categories. For a defenseman, this is noteworthy:

  • 1st in points (39)
  • 1st in assists (36)
  • 1st in power-play points (16)
  • 1st in ice time (22:36)
  • 1st in blocked shots (64)
The small defenseman has found a way to be excellent even while he is in his first steps in the National League, and that is good news in itself for the Canadiens.

He is already really good at 20 years old… And the beauty of it is that he will continue to improve in the coming years.


Overtime

While we’re talking about Lane Hutson, let’s note that he could break the NHL record for most consecutive games with at least one point by a rookie.

He is tied with Shayne Gostisbehere (9 consecutive games), and by earning a point tonight against the Red Wings, the small defenseman could enter the history of the National League.

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