The Montreal Canadiens longed for a player who could do the things that we have seen Lane Hutson doing.
Somehow, some way Hutson was passed on until the Canadiens selected him with the 62nd overall selection in the 2022 NHL Draft. I looked through all of the selections before 62 and I am hard-pressed to find a player from that draft class who has been better. You can't watch Hutson play, see the things he does, and not think that this guy is the next great defenseman.
It took Hutson essentially no time to adjust to the NHL, he stepped in and made an immediate impact. What he was doing in college was ridiculous, and many questioned his translatability. Hutson just hasn't crossed an obstacle that he can't get through, and his confidence continues to grow.
What is his ceiling? I don't think we will see the best that Hutson will deliver until he is probably 23 or 24 years old. Given the things that he has been doing, I can't imagine that he doesn't continue growing. Hutson will add some muscle, and continue testing defences.
TSN had a segment where former NHL goaltender Martin Biron shared his opinion on what Hutson's ceiling is.
Biron thinks that a comparable, as we all do is Quinn Hughes, the captain of the Vancouver Canucks. He says, and I tend to agree that Cale Makar is the best defenseman in the NHL, and Hutson isn't on that level. Makar is a 100-point potential defender, whereas Hughes and Hutson, in his eyes, are 85-90-point scorers.
Hughes does have a 92-point season under his belt, which he achieved during the 2023-2024 season. He also won the Norris Trophy, as the league's best defenseman last season. The race that Hutson is in with Macklin Celebrini and Matvei Michkov, is one that Hughes was a runner-up for in 2019-2020, losing to Makar.
Biron's assessment obviously isn't the be-all and end-all, but for a guy who had a career where he saw plenty of talents, it's a big compliment. I think that players who see the league's best night in and night out have a pretty good idea of talent. I think that Biron might not be far off in his prediction, and I believe that the best is yet to come with Hutson.
Montreal is only getting better, and Ivan Demidov still hasn't arrived, which will make a seismic impact on the roster. As the talent arrives in Montreal, Hutson is only going to have more weapons to dismantle the opposition with. Patrik Laine, one of the NHL's shooters loves Hutson, and the Habs power play shares that sentiment.
Eric Engels believes Jake Evans should be retained
Jake Evans has been a bright spot on a team that is doing some very impressive things of late. For all intents and purposes, Evans has been one of the Habs' most heavily relied upon centremen. I think that the team is going to need a veteran like Evans, and getting him paid is very important.
Evans is playing out of his mind, and with each passing game, his value only increases. You don't generally want to make contract talks during the season, because it can be a distraction. But I think that getting something ironed out right now is important, so there is no risk of losing him.