VIDEO: Lane Hutson has (really) improved his shot this summer

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VIDEO: Lane Hutson has (really) improved his shot this summer
Credit: Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images

For the past two years, Lane Hutson has been stealing the show in Montreal. The defenseman has shown that he has offensive instincts that are truly exceptional.

He's exceptional as a playmaker… and it's no coincidence that the Habs' offense has reached a whole new level since his arrival.

That said, if there's one “weakness” in his offensive game, it's his shot. He doesn't exactly have a cannon… though every once in a while, he's capable of firing one off.

But the good news is that we know Hutson is always working hard to refine his game. And clearly, this summer, he's been working hard to improve his shot.

The result? As you can see in the following video, he's starting to develop a slap shot worthy of the name.

Of course, we don't expect him to fire the puck like Shea Weber or P.K. Subban. He doesn't have the power those two have, and that's not what the Habs need him to do anyway.

That said, if Hutson can at least put together a respectable shot, he'll force his opponents to treat him as a scoring threat. And that could be a huge help to the Canadiens.

Right now, opposing teams defend him mainly by assuming he'll make the pass—which he does the vast majority of the time. But if they have to respect the defenseman's shot, it'll open up passing lanes… and we know Hutson isn't bad when he has passing lanes at his disposal.

After scoring six goals in his rookie season, Hutson found the net 12 times last year (and three more times in the playoffs). He'll probably never be a big scorer, but it's still good news to see that he's adding another string to his bow.

All that's left is to hope that Ivan Demidov—who also tends to pass a little too often—has used the summer to improve his shot as well. The Habs would be in pretty good shape in that scenario.


In Brief

– Connor McDavid is disappointed to see Darnell Nurse leave.

– A 36-team NHL? [HF]

– Michael Hutchinson retires.

– Enjoy the show.

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