With six points in his first five NHL games, the impact of defenceman Lane Hutson has been undeniable for the Montreal Canadiens. Now, the rest of the league is taking notice too.
With the Pittsburgh Penguins coming into town to take on the Canadiens on Monday night, captain Sidney Crosby was recently asked about the potential of the rookie blueliner.
“I skated with him (Lane Hutson) last summer actually. I’ve seen a couple of clips. He looks pretty comfortable,” the 37-year-old told reporters on Sunday. “He’s a great skater, holds onto the puck, makes so many plays. He looks like he’s really confident out there…he looks really good.”
Crosby is not the only member of the Penguins keeping an eye on Hutson’s potential Calder Trophy-winning campaign.
Fellow defenceman Erik Karlsson said he would pay extra attention to No. 48 on Monday night to avoid ending up on the wrong end of one of his highlight-reel-worthy plays.
Lane Hutson Calder Run
Point 3 of 50
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“I heard a little bit about [Hutson] last year, he’s supposed to be a pretty entertaining guy to watch,” the veteran defender noted. “Obviously he’s someone you’re gonna have to pay attention to out there if you don’t wanna end up on a highlight-reel tape.”
The highest of compliments, though, came from Pittsbugh’s head coach Mike Sullivan, who said the 20-year-old Michigan native plays like someone beyond his years.
“He exudes a lot of confidence. For a young player, he has a very mature game. He’s able to hold onto the puck in all situations,” said Sullivan — who was also recently named head coach of Team USA for the 2025 Four Nations Face-Off and the 2026 United States Men’s Olympic Hockey Team — as per RDS.
“He never panics. He plays like a veteran with over 400 games of NHL experience. For a young player to show that maturity is impressive.”
Now 2-1-0 to start the year, the Canadiens will take on Pittsburgh at 7:30 tonight. The game won’t be broadcast on television, though, as the Habs will kick off their first of five Prime Monday Night Hockey streams.
Click here to find out how to tune in.
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