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Lane Hutson contract: “What makes the most sense for him is the Auston Matthews model”
Félix Forget
Lane Hutson contract: “What makes the most sense for him is the Auston Matthews model”
Credit: Getty Images
Lane Hutson absolutely killed it in his first NHL season in 2024-25. The diminutive defenseman racked up 66 points in 82 games this season before adding five more in five playoff games.

There’s a reason he’s considered the favorite for the Calder Trophy, you know.

Inevitably, then, in Montreal, there are quite a few fans who’d like to see Hutson sign a long-term contract in town. And since he’ll be eligible to do so in a month’s time, the subject has been the talk of the town lately.

That said, the defenseman’s case is different from that of Juraj Slafkovský last year: here, both Hutson and the Canadiens don’t necessarily have an incentive to settle this summer… and in the most recent episode of The Basu & Godin Notebook, Arpon Basu even proposed another avenue than the long-term contracts we’ve seen in recent years:

What makes the most sense for Hutson is the Auston Matthews model. – Arpon Basu

In fact, what Basu explains is that it’s pretty unlikely that the defenseman will sign long-term as early as this summer because it doesn’t really sit well with anyone. In fact, the only scenario in which it would make sense is if Hutson wants to buy himself some financial security and is willing to sign this summer, knowing that he wouldn’t necessarily get his full value.

And if that’s the case, the Habs won’t be slow to sign him… but it’s not as simple as that.

In a world where Hutson wants to maximize his value, it’s in his best interest not to sign this summer and (once again) go out and break everything next year… before signing a transition contract to get as close as possible to autonomy.

That way, he’d earn a more than respectable sum over the next few years… and just before reaching autonomy, he’d have excellent arguments to sign a monstrous contract that would be much bigger than what the Habs would offer him this summer or next (if he signs for eight years).

And obviously, if the player wants to maximize his value, this is the most logical avenue for him. The case of Cale Makar is another good example: he signed a six-year contract at $9 million a year… and from 2027-28, he will receive a huge salary increase.

And with the salary cap only set to soar over the next few years, players are well advised to be patient before signing an eight-year contract.

But of course, there’s also a world in which Hutson isn’t necessarily keen to go for every penny possible… and seeing the other pieces of the core who signed before him opt for a more team-friendly approach could help the Canadiens’ cause if they want to sign him for eight years this summer.

And we know: when Kent Hughes gets along with a player, it’s because he got what he wanted.


Overtime

– Interesting.

– According to Anthony Beauvillier, the party was pogued on the plane when Alex Ovechkin broke Wayne Gretzky’s record.[HF]

– Read more.

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