Pierre McGuire joined Tony Marinaro on The Sick Podcast on Tuesday night, covering many topics. However, some of his comments about Lane Hutson could be the most intriguing for Montreal Canadiens fans. McGuire believes that Hutson has elite NHL-level offensive skills, but he questioned whether he can defend in the NHL. The Canadiens have some options to mitigate those concerns, and it already looks like Hutson has gained muscle to compete in battles against the men. It isn't the first time that McGuire has made claims on Tony's show, and whether you like him or not, he has been correct more often than not.
Pierre McGuire is high on Lane Hutson but is concerned about his defensive ability 😳
— The Sick Podcast with Tony Marinaro (@thesickpodcasts) August 28, 2024
"Lane Hutson brings NHL skill level to your team... can he defend at the NHL level? Probably not"#GoHabsGo #thesickpodcast @TonyMarinaro pic.twitter.com/vz9xfMMwXS
McGuire also wondered whether the Canadiens could implement a load management strategy for Hutson in his rookie season. The Anaheim Ducks did it last season with Leo Carlsson, who they felt wasn't ready for the grind of playing against NHL players every night. Marinaro agreed with McGuire's prediction but reiterated that he believes Hutson will start the year in the NHL and not have to go through some AHL seasoning. The trades of Jonathan Kovacevic and Jordan Harris would support that prediction.
I don't feel like the issue McGuire brings up will have a major impact on Hutson's potential. Take into account a player like Erik Karlsson when he was on the Ottawa Senators. Karlsson was the Sens' No. 1 option at the offensive end, but their No. 4 or 5 option on defense. He wasn't the first guy you put on the ice on the penalty kill, but he was likely playing close to the full two minutes on the powerplay.
Martin St. Louis will have total control over the trajectory of Hutson's career. If he puts Hutson in the right spots to succeed out of the gate, he will be a star in Montreal. You can expect Hutson to barely see the ice when the Canadiens are leading late in games, relinquishing that role to players like Kaiden Guhle or Arber Xhekaj. Meanwhile, you can believe those two defensemen will be on the bench when the Canadiens are chasing a lead late in the game.