Lane Hutson folks, wow this kid is different

Some guys play hockey and then there are hockey players, Montreal Canadiens rookie defenseman Lane Hutson is a hockey player.

A fiery, and fierce competitor stuffed into a five-foot-ten, 165-pound frame is what you get with Hutson, but doubt him at your peril. Many NHL general managers did, and in watching him this season, I have a feeling they are kicking themselves.

Hutson is a master with the puck on his stick, but his off-puck game is just as lethal because once you lose him, it rarely turns out well. He prods and manipulates the offensive zone, and strikes with rattlesnake-like rapidity - either with a nasty pass, a brilliant head-fake to orchestrate some quick displays of puckhandling 101, or a quick shot toward the net.

But he is small and frail and what he is doing in the NCAA will never translate to the professional level. However, it has, and truthfully, Hutson is far too talented to ever play in the American Hockey League. Many of the top players in Laval are roughly the same age as Hutson (21), and working their way up the ladder, which makes what he and Juraj Slafkovsky are doing most impressive.

The next wave is coming, and the fanbase and organization have solace in the fact that Hutson is showing to be so much more than an offensive weapon. All signs point to the North Barrington, Illinois native being able to emphatically prove that he can defend with the best of them

No. 48, though small is uber-competitive, and because of that, he finds ways to get under sticks, and use his low centre of gravity to strip even the biggest opponents of the puck. The veteran defenseman across must be proud of what the kid is doing, and you have to remember that he has tremendous room to grow before hitting his prime.

With 62 points on his resume, through 74 games, Hutson is two shy of matching Chris Chelios for the Canadiens' rookie defenseman scoring record (64). Hutson is also three assists short of tying Larry Murphy, for the most assists (60) for a rookie defenseman in NHL history. Hutson has eight games to score four assists and usurp Murphy for the rookie defenseman assist record.

I say he does it, and it seems unwise to discredit the five-foot-165-pound defenseman, who has excelled at every level in which he's played. And he has done more than prove he is one of the league's elite players before playing 82 NHL hockey games. Cale Makar leads the league in points by a defence by a wide margin, and he and Hutson have the same number of assists (57) before Makar and the Avalanche face the Chicago Blackhawks tonight.

You run out of superlatives, and you would think that he would run out of highlight reel plays, but he is just getting started. And Ivan Demidov will join the fold hopefully before the end of April, iif not next season.

Hutson has the respect of the dressing room

It doesn't matter how small a player is, and that has been especially true throughout the storied history of the CH. Established in 1909, the team has seen the likes of Henri Richard, Yvon Cournoyer, Howie Morenz and even the Rocket, who was just five-foot-ten. It isn't short by regular standards, but the league is stocked full of some monsters.

But like the undersized pioneers before him that grace the Habs record books, Hutson has silenced any and every doubter who wrongly pegged him.

The league knows about Hutson now, and his teammates have seismic amounts of respect for No. 48.

Opponents know better than to doubt him because of his baby face, this guy is an absolute wizard with the puck, and as competitive as they come. His teammate, and fellow blueliner Alexandre Carrier knows that Hutson is a special player. A Norris Trophy? Well, for now, he is deadset on a playoff spot, which will likely cement his case for the Calder Trophy.

But nobody can take away the names he has played himself onto lists alongside. The likes of Chris Chelios, Niklas Lidstrom and Larry Murphy. And less than a stone's throw away, Phil Housley and Quinn Hughes's names are written.

Hutson is a special player, and he hasn't played his 82nd NHL game yet. In his last two games, Hutson has recorded six assists. Against the reigning Stanley Cup champions to boot.

No. 48 has ice in his veins, and a Stanley Cup playoff drive, has his competitive fire cranked to a million degrees.

Hutson has been an absolute weapon for the Canadiens, and his timely activations, and masterful puck rushes open up so much for their offensive indentity. With No. 48 driving the puck, you always watch in anticipation, because his line to the net is anything but linear, and his Patrick Kane-like puck handles deter any problems that try to interrupt his path to the offensive zone.

I grew up loving Alex Kovalev, Ray Bourque and Joe Sakic, and when I watch Hutson, I see those same elements - laser focus, incredible skill and fantastic vision - all driven by a fire that pushes them to try and be the best.

Hutson is a Montreal Canadien folks, and I think he will sign a lucrative eight-year extension during the offseason. Why not?