Lane Hutson didn't have many questions left to answer after his potential Calder Trophy-winning season. Would his offense carry over to the NHL? Absolutely. Would his physical stature be a detriment to his game? It was actually a positive. Would he be able to play replacement-level defense to complement his offense? Even better than you could've imagined. The only question left to answer was whether all of those assets could carry over when the game got tighter and more physical in the playoffs.
Hutson answered those playoff questions again even better than anyone could've imagined. He led Montreal Canadiens skaters in ice time, points, expected goals, and net rating. He was the best and most consistent player on the ice for the Canadiens, and proved to everybody that this success is here to stay. Hutson earned himself a massive contract extension this offseason when he becomes eligible on July 1, and will be a pillar in the Montreal organization for a long time.
Dom Luszczyszyn is a writer for The Athletic and loves to dive into the world of advanced analytics. He talked about Hutson in a recent breakdown of the first round and shared where Hutson falls on a "similarity score calculator" he recently calculated. The model breaks down what players Hutson is most comparable to in his first season, and the results are stunning.
"Hutson’s top three matches from defenders aged 21 to 23? Quinn Hughes (at age 21), Quinn Hughes (at age 23) and Cale Makar (at age 22). Good company," Luszczyszyn wrote.
"“I hope so. It’s a special place to play. Having our young core and having guys who are still coming up, I think it’s only gonna get younger from here. We’re just excited about what the future is gonna hold.”"Lane Hutson
Hutson is saying all the right things about his future with the Canadiens. He is ready to sign a long-term extension to stay with this core, and most believe he can break the bank. Hutson seems like the type to take a semi-team-friendly deal, but he'll still be a very wealthy man at some point this summer. For the Canadiens' management team, spending a lot of money on a player on the trajectory of Quinn Hughes and Cale Makar seems like a worthy investment.