JiC: “Hutson is the closest thing I’ve seen to Wayne Gretzky among defensemen.”

Michaël Petit
JiC: “Hutson is the closest thing I’ve seen to Wayne Gretzky among defensemen.”
Credit: Dave Reginek/NHLI via Getty Images

Lane Hutson has been truly impressive in the playoffs.

Since the playoffs began, #48 has taken his game to the next level.

Keep in mind that he's only 22 years old…

What he's accomplishing at such a young age is unprecedented.

Not only is he dominant with the puck, but he's much more well-rounded than people realize.

In 12 games in this series (where he's racked up 12 points), he's blocked 16 shots, which is pretty impressive for a small offensive defenseman.

It's a far cry from Mike Matheson's 35 blocked shots—he leads the NHL in that category during the playoffs—but it's fair to say no one expected this.

Jean-Charles Lajoie, in his latest article on TVA Sports, praises the small defenseman's prowess.

According to him, Lajoie is the closest thing we've seen to Wayne Gretzky among defensemen. Nothing less.

“I've rarely seen such a sense of anticipation. Hutson is the closest thing I've seen to Wayne Gretzky on defense.” – JiC

Indeed, the speed at which Hutson reads the game is incredible.

More and more, we're seeing experts, current players, and even former players praise Hutson's talent—and for good reason.

Yet, when he was drafted 62nd overall in the 2022 draft, far too many people believed he was too small to succeed in the NHL.

It's normal to think that about a small defenseman who dominates the college ranks in the U.S., but you have to admit that his small stature doesn't hold him back at all.

Far too many people believed he wouldn't be able to make it to the NHL because the league is too physical and the players are too powerful.

Honestly, how many times has Hutson been “checked” hard since joining the NHL? A few times, at most.

His hands and agility allow him to weave through traffic and avoid the vast majority of checks. And not only does he avoid checks, but he often manages to make a fool of his opponent at the same time.

He's having fun on the ice, and let me remind you, he's only 22…

He excels in every aspect of the game, forces turnovers, and always skates back hard, even at the end of his shift.

Yes, he makes mistakes, and that's normal. All players do, especially young, offensive-minded defensemen. 

However, what sets him apart from other players is that he always gets back on defense and, quite often, makes up for his mistakes by breaking up plays.

It's pretty hard to find any flaws in his game.

One could have argued that he didn't shoot on goal often enough, but increasingly, we're seeing him take shots. In the playoffs, he averages two shots per game, whereas last year, he barely had one shot per game.

And we know his shot can be devastating, like his overtime goal against the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 3.

This young player's future looks very promising.


In a nutshell

– The captain never stops.

– That would be truly incredible.

– Interesting.

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