With the Montreal Canadiens set to finish the season near the bottom of the NHL standings for the third year in a row, the organization is once again looking toward the future.
And when it comes to the Canadiens’ deep pool of prospects, arguably no one has fans more excited than defenceman Lane Hutson.
Taken by Montreal in the second round of the 2022 Draft (62nd overall), many analysts have already deemed the dynamic puck-moving blueliner a stud for the Habs.
Recently announced as a Hobey Baker award finalist, Hutson has been dominating the NCAA with Boston University for the past two seasons. And with plenty of accolades, along with a gold medal with Team USA at the 2024 World Juniors, Hutson appears ready to take the next step.
That begs the question, when is he coming over to the NHL?
The timeframe for the 20-year-old’s Canadiens debut is still a little up in the air since his team is still in the playoffs.
Beating Northeastern in the Hockey East quarterfinal contest on Saturday, Boston, whose roster includes Hutson and highly-touted 2024 prospect Macklin Celebrini, still has games left to play.
With a guaranteed appearance in the semifinal against Maine this Friday, Hutson and the Terriers also have very good odds of participating in the Frozen Four, which takes place from April 11 to 13.
But even if they do go all the way, Hutson could still join the Canadiens for the final two games of their season, which concludes with a matchup against the Detroit Red Wings on April 16.
With that said, once Hutson is ready to sign his entry-level contract with Montreal, the Holland, Michigan, native will no longer be eligible to play with the Laval Rocket should they qualify for the AHL playoffs, since it would be beyond the cutoff date.
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