Lane Hutson Drawing Praise From New Canadiens Defenseman

What an intriguing thought that is for a team that has relied heavily on Mike Matheson for production from the backend, which was exposed as a short-term fix when Hutson usurped Matheson from the top power play.

Dobson and Hutson may never play together, given the fact that they are viewed as more offensive-geared defender, and such emplyment could create beautiful offense, but the defensive side of play might be a bit lacking.

Whether they play together or not doesn't exactly mean the pair won't learn from each other, and you would have to believe that the Dobson's addition is going to make the entire blueline better. That's especially true for Hutson, who has been open about his need to improve his shooting.

Dobson isn't a 30-goal scoring defenseman, but very few are, and what the Summerside, PEI native brings to the Canadiens is a near guarantee to score 10 goals. Over the past four seasons Dobson has registered 10-plus goals, including two 13-goal seasons.

He gets shots through from the blueline, and that is valuable not only on the power-play, but at five on five when there is traffic in front of the goaltender. Certainly, having a guy like that for Hutson to ask questions to, and practice with is a huge advantage.

The sophomore slump suggestion is often thrown out for players that explode in their rookie season, before falling off in year two, be it decreased production offensively or simply feeling increased pressure to perform.

Hutson feels like a sure bet to steer clear of any slumps thanks to his top-level work ethic. If Dobson has anything to say about it, neither of the two will see a slump.

A career-year could be in line for the former 70-point scoring blueliner, and for Hutson, who is looking to his best his 66-point Calder Trophy-securing season. The Canadiens have to focus on some things up front, a second-line centre notably, but the defense appears to be in good hands.

Hutson and Dobson, while young, have shown that they can lead the play on the backend with a smart first-pass or a quick rush up the ice in transition.

This will be invaluable if dispersed between two defense pairings for Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis, who can take advantage of icing two efficient offensive lines, backed by two solid defense pairs.

Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes has put together a formidable prospect pool, and addressed many needs on the roster. Offensively, the future appears to be very promising.

But the Canadiens' blueline, led by Dobson and Hutson, has some fantastic support pillars in Kaiden Guhle and David Reinbacher, who appear to be the two that will round out the organization's top-four defense for the future.