Lane Hutson explains how he uses deceptiveness

If you're a Montreal Canadiens fan following the team hasn't been much fun over the last couple of seasons.

But there are a couple of very bright spots, that have fans dreaming up scenarios for the future. Two that have stood out recently, are Lane Hutson and Patrik Laine, who have electrified the stadium with their All-World skills. Laine's shot is one of the best in the whole league, and Hutson is a cheat code in the offensive zone.

It's no surprise that Laine said he has no idea what Hutson is going to do, and in my opinion, elite players pick up on things. But Laine who has made a career of making defenders and goalies look silly, can't figure out Hutson? Hutson is a special talent, but the compliment from Laine who is new to the team, is a huge vote of confidence for the 20-year-old.

Hutson brushed it off and said that he tries to shake off defenders and create space with his skating. He certainly does that well, and he knows that having a guy like Laine makes the Habs a threat. Laine's ability impresses Hutson and encourages him to continue creating space for guys like No. 92 to score.

Laine can score from all around the offensive zone, and he can get his shot off quickly. Hutson acknowledges that and it's hard to imagine that Laine is going to ever leave MTL. He knows about Michael Hage and Ivan Demidov, and surely he has heard about Jacob Fowler.

On the night of an embarrassing performance against the Pittsburgh Penguins, ending in a 9-2 loss, reading the names above takes a bit of the heat off of that. It's hard right now to go through these types of games, but there is hope on the way. It isn't going to happen overnight, but Montreal has some players that are part of the Habs plan, and not with the Habs yet.

Down in Laval, there are Adam Engstrom and Logan Mailloux, who are carving up the blueline for the Rocket. Owen Beck has been mightily impressive, blending his strong defensive game with some increased shooting. And Jared Davidson has been a pleasant surprise, proving that he is a late bloomer.

Laine's inclusion to Finland could be huge confidence boost

I'm not sure where Laine will play in the Finnish lineup at the 4 Nations Faceoff, but he could make a massive impact. Playing alongside a Sebastian Aho or Aleksander Barkov would create a silly amount of offense for the Finns. I can't imagine a scenario where Laine doesn't explode in his native colours.

I am excited to see the tournament and expect that Laine will score some big goals, there are too many good players that he will play with, not too. I have to think that if he performs well there, he will only come back to the Canadiens feeling pretty good about himself. What a nice gift that would be for the team, especially considering that the playoff implications after the tournament start to take shape.

Montreal needs to clean up some things and the goaltending needs to be more consistent, but the Habs could use Laine back to form.