With the Calder Trophy all but locked up, is Lane Hutson soon worthy of another award?

The Montreal Canadiens have plenty of reasons to be optimistic, but Lane Hutson might be No. 1. He will likely win the Calder Trophy this season, and there are reasons to believe that he could be a Norris Trophy nominee. He is fourth in defensemen scoring, recording 64 points in 77 games. Hutson has also been better defensively than the experts predicted before the start of the season. However, it has been his work over the past few weeks that have people talking.

If you're judging which defenseman is most valuable to his team, Hutson is among the top. He has put the team on his back since the 4 Nations Face-Off, which is one of the main reasons they will likely have their first playoff appearance since 2021. The Canadiens weren't supposed to be in the playoffs this season, and it's hard to deny that they wouldn't be if Hutson weren't on the team. Compare that with players like Zach Werenski and Quinn Hughes, who will likely be the nominees next to Cale Makar but won't be playing playoff hockey this spring.

The Verdict: Not Yet

Hutson will walk to the stage and accept the Calder Trophy at the NHL Awards. However, he won't win the Norris Trophy. The real conversation is whether he can force his way into a nomination, which would be an amazing feat in itself. It's difficult to force your way into the top defenseman conversation, but Hutson has done that in just 79 career games.

There were high expectations for Hutson entering this season, as Montreal fans wondered if he could win the Calder Trophy. The question was whether he could live up to the expectations under the massive weight of pressure in the crazy hockey city. What Hutson managed to accomplish with all those things against him is simply unbelievable.

Cale Makar will likely win the award. He helped lead the Colorado Avalanche to the playoffs after they traded Mikko Rantanen, and became the first 30-goal scorer as a defenseman since Mike Green in 2008-09. Makar has 91 points through 78 games and plays over 25 minutes per game. He isn't just a one-trick pony, as he also plays over two minutes per game shorthanded. Some issues with the other top defensemen are that they don't play as much in defensive roles.

The NHL is a changing game, and the spirit of being a defenseman is changing. However, you'd still like to see your league's top defenseman be able to kill a penalty and be reliable defensively. You look at players like Hutson and Quinn Hughes, who play less than 15 seconds of penalty kill time per game.

Hutson is much better defensively than people thought he would be. However, there is still plenty of room to grow. The question now is whether he will sneak into a nomination.