Zach Whitecloud: The perfect candidate to play alongside Lane Hutson

Marc-Olivier Cook
Zach Whitecloud: The perfect candidate to play alongside Lane Hutson
Credit: Capture d'écran Twitter

At first glance, Zachary Whitecloud might not be the name that gets Canadiens fans excited.

However, the defenseman could be a very interesting option for Kent Hughes. And this isn't the first time his name has come up around town.

He has what it takes to help the Habs, after all. And in fact, he has one particular quality in his game that could make the Canadiens salivate…

At 29 years old, Whitecloud is known for his simple, effective, and physical style of play. He doesn't rack up a ton of points, but he excels at the little things that win games: blocking shots, defensive coverage, body checks, and reliability on the penalty kill.

And as noted in an article on the Sick Podcast, adding a right-handed veteran capable of logging significant defensive minutes could make a lot of sense.

But I want to take this a step further.

Whitecloud, who is imposing and isn't afraid to throw a hit… could be the perfect partner for a guy like Lane Hutson.

Jean Perron said it out loud at the annual Canadiens Alumni golf tournament: it takes a Chris Pronger to play alongside Hutson. Whitecloud isn't Chris Pronger, you might say… but he has similar qualities in his game because of his reliability on the ice and his physical play.

His experience is also a major plus because he won the Stanley Cup with Vegas in 2023… and the Habs don't have many Stanley Cup winners on their roster.

Whitecloud is part of the Calgary Flames organization, and at the right price, I don't see why the Flames wouldn't let him go.

It's not like they have a shot at being super dominant in '26-'27, after all…

And Whitecloud's contract ($2.75 million per year through the summer of 2028) isn't exactly massive either. When you put all these factors together, you realize just how attractive he could be for a team like the Habs… and for Lane Hutson's future.


In a nutshell

– It's sad.

– Oh yeah?

– Well…

– Nice.

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