Can Lane Hutson follow NCAA dominance to the NHL?

With Lane Hutson, while he hasn't played a lot of NHL minutes yet, the Montreal Canadiens have high hopes that he can be a stud.

As Montreal Hockey Now writer Marx Dumont outlined, Hutson produced a higher point and goal per game clips than some NHL stars. This doesn't necessarily mean that Hutson will be as good as these players, but it would be wild to expect that out of him. However, the things that he does on the ice, with the puck are jaw dropping.

These guys are the best of the best and have led their teams and taken the league by storm, dominating nearly every shift. Their puck skills and skating ability make them so unpredictable to defend against, just when an opponent feels they got them stuck, they slip away. Hutson has an ability to take the puck and basically play a game of keep away, much like Adam Fox, Cale Makar and Quinn Hughes do successfully on a nightly basis.

The goal, of course is to reach their level if possible, and if anyone can get there, it is likely Hutson, though there is lots of work ahead of him to get there.

How about year one?

It all starts with year one, which if things go the way that the first two games of his NHL career went, should be a successful year. It should be expected that there will be some growing pains, adjustment time and even some rookie mistakes. But Hutson works his tail off and carries himself like a guy who knows that he will keep improving, he never comes off as cocky or arrogant.

Many would if they were in his shoes, but not Hutson, he is humble and works hard. He has gained compliments at every level, with reason, which is why there is so much excitement around the player. I fully expect him to become the superstar that he appears to have the potential to become, but even if it doesn't happen right away, I think he will be all right.

I expect that Hutson will show off a lot of his offensive touch in year one, but he may need some extra time to make a big impact defensively. It's not that he is expected to be a shutdown guy or that he can't defend well, it's just that he will need the coaching and reps. He also isn't going to be put out on the ice with Justin Barron or Mike Matheson, so he will learn like many before him from David Savard.

I think that he has the potential to score between 40-50 points this upcoming season and will be in the conversation for the Calder Trophy when all is said and do