The question of the day (or rather, of the off-season) for the Montreal Canadiens is what Lane Hutson’s next contract will look like.
As you can see, speculation about the value of his next contract is rife, with a multitude of opinions.
Some would like (and wish) him to sign for less than Suzuki, but that option can almost already be ruled out for all sorts of reasons.
First, he won the Calder Trophy, with an outstanding rookie season, highlights, franchise records and more.
He also received a third-place vote in the Norris Trophy race, which is very impressive considering he’s only a rookie.
Also, consider that the Habs should quickly become competitive with the current (very) young core.
And let’s not forget that the salary cap is set to rise considerably over the next few years.
In short, there are all sorts of good reasons to expect his annual salary to be between $9 and $10 million, but some are offering even more outrageous contracts.
Such is the case of Jean-Nicolas Blanchet, who believes that Hutson could sign a contract worth $100 million (!!!), i.e. eight years and $12.5 million per season.
And now, Tony Marinaro also believes that the flamboyant little defenseman could earn between $12 and $12.5 million a year on his next contract (if he signs for eight years).
At more than $12 million per season, it’s starting to get expensive, but we know for a fact that the Habs will have their offensive quarterback for a very long time, and one who will quickly become one of the elite.
On the other hand, you have to bear in mind that the timing of Hutson’s signing will affect the amount of his contract, whether upwards or downwards.
Whether he signs this summer or at the end of next season, it can change a lot of things, and in the end, it’s a guess to take for the Habs,
If he signs now and has a disappointing season against expectations, the Habs could regret not being patient.
On the other hand, if they wait too long and Hutson surpasses expectations by breaking more records, it’s going to be (very) expensive.
The bottom line is that the Habs shouldn’t waste time signing him, because right now is the best time to extend him.
On this subject, Arpon Basu asks the question for the Habs: how much more can Hutson ask over the course of the season if he does very well?
Also, for those who missed it, Hutson was at a Bauer event and in a shootout, #48 brought out his Sunday hands with an incredible deke:
In a way, this gives the Habs one more piece in their arsenal in terms of how useful he is, and one more argument for his contract, since they could also use him more in shootouts.
In short, the Habs have a nice problem on their hands, but they shouldn’t take too long before extending him, as I have a feeling they’ll regret waiting.
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