All that was left was to announce that Lane Hutson would be nominated for the Calder Memorial Trophy. He quickly became a key cog on Martin St. Louis' Montreal Canadiens roster, earning his way onto the team's first powerplay unit. He set records for defenseman rookie scoring and was one of the top offensive contributors we've ever seen as a rookie defenseman.
The NHL announced the nominations at the 2025 NHL Draft Lottery show. He shares the nomination with Macklin Celebrini and Dustin Wolf, which turned into a four-horse race along with Matvei Michkov. Michkov also had a successful rookie season, but was eventually beaten out by Wolf who nearly led the Calgary Flames to an improbable Stanley Cup Playoffs berth.
Macklin Celebrini looked like he might run away with the race early in the season, but Hutson severely narrowed the gap once he was put on the first powerplay unit. By the 4 Nations Face-Off break, Hutson was the odds-on favorite to be the winner, and now it is likely a guarantee that he will be the recipient. Hutson closed as a -2200 betting favorite on Fanduel.
Hutson finished the year with 66 points in 82 games, and also added five assists in five playoffs games. He answered some of the haters questions by staying healthy for all 82 games with his slight frame and also playing above-average defense. Most importantly, he helped lead the Canadiens back to the playoffs for the first time since 2021.