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Lane Hutson: A contract bigger than Suzuki’s?

 Marc-Olivier Cook
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Lane Hutson: A contract bigger than Suzuki’s?
Credit: Getty Images
Lane Hutson is in his first full season in the National Hockey League.

So far, he is exceeding expectations: he has scored 30 points in his first 40 games of the season and ranks at the top of the NHL rookie scoring list ahead of Matvei Michkov and Macklin Celebrini (in that order).

Not bad for a five-foot-nine defenseman who wasn’t supposed to be able to adapt to the more physical style of the National Hockey League!

The small defenseman has quickly become an important cog in the Habs’ lineup, and there is already talk about his next contract.

Because one thing is for sure: Lane may be small… But his contract is going to be big. Hehe.

On a more serious note, Renaud Lavoie addressed this subject this morning during his morning segment on BPM Sports, and there was one specific phrase that caught my attention.

It’s very possible to see Hutson signing a bigger contract than Nick Suzuki, the team’s captain:

Starting in 2026-2027, the salary cap could reach $100 million. I have a feeling that this artificial cap (in Montreal) is going to explode. – Renaud Lavoie

Here, it is important to remember one thing.

Nick Suzuki is the one who has signed the highest monetary contract per season under Kent Hughes’ era, and we know that in the past, the Habs’ GM was reluctant to exceed that amount ($7.875 million per year) to sign another of his players.

Cole Caufield signed a deal that pays him $7.850 million until the end of the 2031 season, and Slaf has signed a contract of $7.6 million per season. There is Patrik Laine who earns a salary of $8.7 million per year, but the difference is that Hughes acquired the forward while he already had that contract in hand.

Renaud Lavoie’s argument – and it’s quite logical – is that the NHL salary cap is going to rise significantly in the coming years. And the Canadiens cannot limit themselves with their “homemade” cap because they cannot miss the opportunity to sign talented players.

Of course, the sample size is still rather small when we talk about Lane Hutson.

He has only played 42 games in the NHL since the start of his career… But 90% of the time, he looks like a guy who can become a superstar in this league in the coming years.

That’s why the time might be right for Kent Hughes. If the GM waits until the end of the defenseman’s contract and Hutson continues to find as much success… He will cost even more in the summer of 2026, when his entry-level contract ends.

This is quite a dilemma for the Habs’ GM.


In Brief

– Two key pieces will be absent during the Rocket’s trip to Cleveland.

– Well done.

– Things are heating up in this case:

– Sad news.

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