Apr 27, 2025; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Canadiens right wing Cole Caufield (13) and defenseman Lane Hutson (48) defend against Washington Capitals left wing Anthony Beauvillier (72) during the second period in game four of the first round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn ImagesTo say Montreal Canadiens’ rookie defenseman Lane Hutson had a good season would be a gross understatement. The five-foot-nine blueliner wrote his name in the storied franchise record book more than once and proved the naysayers wrong on many levels. Unsurprisingly, his end-of-season media availability was nothing but positive.
The rearguard has yet to decide if he will join Team USA for the upcoming World Championship, but there’s no doubt it would make the tournament a lot more fun for Habs fans to watch. His younger brother will be playing, but it's true that Hutson has player a lot of hockey this season and a rest might not be a bad idea.
Asked about how different the playoffs are from the regular season, the rookie explained:
Yeah, there’s a massive jump in the physicality, the speed, and the pace, so it’s really different, but there are glimpses of that in the regular season too.
Hutson plans on getting both faster and stronger this Summer and working out what else he could do to make the game easier for himself. Asked about the leadership group on the team, he said:
Yeah, you think about guys like Gally, Dave, and Mike Matheson. They’ve done it for a long time, and then you have the young leaders like Suzi. It’s an ideal group to have leading us; it’s awesome.
He described the first playoff game at the Bell Centre like the highlight of his season, stating it was insane, and you could see in his eyes that he’s hungry for much more of that insanity. Summarizing his end-of-season meeting, he said:
It was nothing crazy. They were happy with what I did and told me to keep learning, keep doing my thing, and be ready to do it again.
He’ll be eligible to sign a new contract this Summer, and while he hasn’t looked too much into it, he said it would be pretty special to sign a long-term contract with the team, adding that he wants to be there. He described the group as grounded with no egos getting in the way, a bunch of guys loving what they do and playing for each other and for the team.
Hutson was a breath of fresh air in Montreal this season. The way the crowd reacted every time he touched the puck at the start of the year was quite something. The fans were excited about this young player, and each and every day, he proved they were right to be. The NHL has yet to announce the finalists for the Calder Trophy, but there’s no doubt he will be on that shortlist. There’s very little doubt that he will win it in the end.
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