Hockey

New face of the NHL: Hutson receives one vote in player survey
Marc-Olivier Cook
New face of the NHL: Hutson receives one vote in player survey
Credit: Getty Images

Several NHL players took part in the NHL Media Tour, which took place last week in Vegas. And for the occasion, The Athletic took the opportunity (for the third year in a row) to question several guys about lots of different topics. One of the questions went something like this: “Not counting the current stars, who will be the next face of the NHL?”… and the answers were interesting “Macklin Celebrini (24 votes), Gavin McKenna (4 votes), Connor Bedard (3 votes) and Matthew Schaefer (2 votes) were the most popular players in the poll. But it's also worth noting that six players each received one vote. We're talking about James Hagens, Zayne Parekh, Leo Carlsson, Jack Hughes, Matvei Michkov and… Lane Hutson. Seeing the defenseman on a list like this is intriguing:

It's intriguing because Lane Hutson is a 5'9 defenseman who was still able to have a huge first season in the National League. And deep down, his talent doesn't go unnoticed… because there's at least one NHL player who sees him as the next face of the Bettman circuit. Speaking of the Canadiens' defenseman, let's not forget that he hasn't signed his new contract yet. And perhaps the Canadiens are also waiting to see what the Devils will do with Luke Hughes, who must also sign a new contract. Is there a link between the two defensemen's situations?

Let's remember one thing, though. Just because Hughes signs for the long term doesn't mean we'll see Hutson do the same. The idea of a shorter contract may interest him… because he could sign an even more lucrative deal when his next contract expires with the increase in cap and salary in the National League. We know the Canadiens would like that, to put him under contract for eight years. But maybe the player wants less… and maybe it has something to do with the fact that he hasn't signed his contract yet. To be continued.

'Overtime'

– Yes.

– Indeed.

– The situation must be resolved.

– News in the MLB.

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