Montreal Canadiens: The Curious Case Of Lane Hutson

Lane Hutson has always been a name that has caught my attention in regards to the upcoming draft.

Not only because his name would make the perfect character for another Cars sequel, but he is such a talented player and yet, only Craig Button has him ranked in the first round at #31. Everyone else has him pegged in the mid to late second round.

Everyone has repeated the same narrative when it comes to Hutson. He’s 5 foot 8. We’re going to have to come to the conclusion that the short age we went through where teams ignored an athlete’s size has come to an end. Now and more than ever, the looks have come back and you are judged severely by it.

https://twitter.com/USAHockeyNTDP/status/1532761164857454593?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1532761164857454593%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Flastwordonsports.com%2Fhockey%2F2022%2F06%2F12%2Flane-hutson-scouting-report-2022-nhl-draft%2F

I discovered Hutson watching the U18 where he was named the best defenseman of the tournament. He consistently was the best player on the ice. Driving up his team up and down the ice, making intelligent plays with and without the puck and quarterbacked his team in a way a catcher would guide his pitcher in baseball. Clearly his hockey IQ is off the charts.

As expected by small players, and also the only way one can survive, Hutson has blazing speed and excellent mobility. Surprisingly, he has great agility with the puck as well and has been able to avoid getting crushed on more than one occasion. Add to the fact that he’s also very creative with finding passing lanes and getting into tight zones and we’re starting to see many similarities to Quinn Hughes.

Where the scouting reports about Hutson absolutely irk me is that multiple times i’ve read that if he were 5’11” rather than 5’8″ he would be a Top 5 pick in the draft rather than a mid second round pick. The criticism about his defensive play stems from the fact that he’s quick on the poke check. Which he should be! If Hutson started throwing his 158 pound frame around he would tire himself out endlessly and end up on the IR half the time.

I rarely so vehemently disagree with a player’s ranking in the draft since i’m not a scout or expert like our contributor Sebastian High is. This time however i’ve watched so many videos and managed to catch some games during his U18 games and I was just blown away. There’s no way this kid is just going to be passed over because of his size. There’s just something in his step that makes everyone around him so much better.

Jared Spurgeon is 5’9″ and 166 lbs and it’s safe that he’s had a moderately successful NHL career as captain of the Minnesota Wild.

I see that comments coming that the Canadiens don’t need another player under 6 feet. I’ve seen those comments ad nauseum. However a talent like that, whether he’s built like Andre The Giant or Paddington Bear is completely moot. If he can play and make your team better, or better yet help you win, you take him.

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