While this season wasn’t exactly thrilling in Montreal with the now-usual overabundance of losses and injuries, morale and excitement went straight up when a fresh crop of blueliners was given its first taste of NHL action. Lane Hutson featured in two games, one away and one at home, while Logan Mailloux was inserted in the lineup for the final game. In hockey-mad Montreal, fans ordered their brand-new Hutson jersey before they had seen him skate live. How should the organization handle the young blueliner’s development next season?
Beware of the Hype
Since Hutson was picked 62nd overall by the Montreal Canadiens at the 2022 Draft, we’ve seen numerous highlight reel goals and plays from the 5-foot-10 and 162-pound defence prospect, perhaps even too many. As good as Hutson looks on those highlights, the fact is, he’s pulling those moves off on players of his age or younger, not on seasoned NHL veterans.
Make no mistake, there are big and slow veterans in the league, but there are also fresh legs and active sticks. The Cale Makars and Quinn Hughes of the world will be able to catch Hutson and whether he’ll be able to beat them when they do remains to be seen.
His height may not be an issue in the NCAA or at lower levels, but the NHL is where it matters the most. I’m not saying he’ll struggle for sure, but, likely, he will not take to the NHL like a fish to water. Granted, he didn’t look out of place in the first two games he played, but those were meaningless games against the already-eliminated Detroit Red Wings. When the puck drops next season though, everyone will once again be in the running for the playoffs and there will be no lack of intensity.
Brace yourself Canadiens’ fans, we’ve rarely seen a blue-line prospect come with this much hype – before going crazy though, give him the time he needs to adjust and work on his game. Montreal is not winning the Stanley Cup next year and he’s got plenty of time to grow into the hype, as long as unfair expectations don’t weigh him down.
Will There Be Roster Spots Available for the Taking in Montreal?
The answer to this question depends on a few factors. Currently, there’s a logjam on the Canadiens’ blue line and how general manager Kent Hughes handles the coming offseason will be hugely important to be able to answer this question. If, as so many expect, the GM goes top-six hunting using picks and young defencemen as bait, there could well be some space on the Canadiens’ blue line.
Should that happen, however, it doesn’t necessarily mean Hutson would be the first in line to fill it. He spent this season in the NCAA and not in the pro ranks while Mailloux spent the whole season with the Laval Rocket. The latter worked hard on his defensive deficiencies and enjoyed good progression, he was even the team’s representative at the AHL All-Star Game and formed quite the duo in the American Hockey League (AHL) with Arber Xhekaj when he was sent down to work on his defensive game.
That being said, even if one or a couple of defencemen are traded this summer, there will still be more candidates than there are spots and a lot will depend on how head coach Martin St. Louis wants to use his lineup. The Canadiens have the luxury of having their farm team a stone’s throw away, so they do not necessarily need to keep an extra blueliner on the NHL roster. If need be, they can just recall someone and have them over in the blink of an eye. Wouldn’t it be better for all these young defencemen to play rather than to rotate in and out of the lineup? There’s an argument to be made there.
Justin Barron will be waiver-eligible this upcoming season for the first time, so it won’t be as easy to send him down as it once was. Considering he was acquired in return for Arturri Lehkonen, I do not see Hughes running the risk of losing him on waivers.
So with veterans Mike Matheson, David Savard, young blueliners Kaiden Guhle, Xhekaj, Barron, Jordan Harris, and Jayden Struble, that’s already seven members of the defensive corps. Add to that the fact Mailloux will be in his second year of pro experience which could be one of the deciding factors to give him the inside lane.
Is the AHL an Environment Likely to Help Hutson’s Development?
While for some the AHL is a development league, for others it’s where dreams come to die for career AHLers who have finally realized they’ll never make it to the big show in any permanent capacity. When that happens, frustration can boil over and players can turn into headhunters. Big guys who are having fun by intimidating rookies and trying to “welcome” them to the pros.
Do you think that was only in “the good old days” and it’s not like this anymore? Picture this: on one side Hutson and his 5-foot-10 and 162-pound frame, on the other side, from the Hartford Wolf Pack weighing in at 241 pounds and standing tall at 6-foot-7: Matthew Rempe! What do you think happens if the latter arrives toward the former at full speed? That’s right, nothing good. Would that be enough of a concern to prevent the Canadiens from sending Hutson to Laval? I don’t think so, but it’s still worth thinking about.
Chances are though, Hutson would get a lot more ice time and opportunities down in the AHL with Laval than he would with as part of a rotation in the NHL with the Canadiens. The first year of professional experience is a crucial stage, and taking shortcuts doesn’t help anyone.
When a player is asked to do too much too soon it always seems to come back and haunt them later down the line. Jesperi Kotkaniemi started in the NHL instead of in the AHL and that resulted in a less-than-ideal development curve. Victor Mete was sent right into the deep end by the Canadiens and it was definitely too much, too soon. When it comes to player development, I strongly believe that slow and steady wins the race while fast and shaky crashes and burns.
There is no rush for Hutson to be NHL-ready, the Canadiens are still a few years away from contending so they can afford to take whatever time they need to harvest his talent and potential. Have you ever heard of a hockey player who had been developed too slowly? I don’t think that’s actually possible.
When training camp opens this fall, take a few deep breaths and remember that for now, Hutson is nothing more than a kid chasing his pro hockey dream. Give him the time to brush his teeth and put on his pj’s, the dream will be even sweeter if he has all the tools he needs.
