Let’s move forward to the July 2022 draft. The arrival of Juraj Slafkovsky on the red carpet outside the Bell Centre, as he got off the bus, the boos at him from fans who demanded Shane Wright, the concussion when Kent Hughes announced his choice, the joy of Logan Cooley being drafted third, the poignant embrace between two childhood friends, Slafkovsky and Filip Mesar – the Canadian’s other first-round pick – reunited within the same organization.
Lane Hutson did not enter the front door of the Bell Center that evening. He was obviously there, and had a slim hope of being chosen at the end of the first round, but at 5-foot-8 and 148 pounds, he had no illusions.
However, some chroniclers believed in it, like here for example. “Since the possibility of seeing the Canadian try to acquire another choice among the top 15 remains very strong, there are other names to remember. Here are 12. Who knows, one of them could put on a Canadiens jersey with Wright, Slafkovsky or Cooley on Thursday evening at the Bell Center […] Many will jump here. Hutson isn’t even in the first round on many lists due to his small size, 5’8″, but he has Quinn Hughes in his nose. Defenders this offensively gifted are rare, and CH does not have this type of player in its organization. Hutson could nevertheless still be available at the end of the first or at the start of the second round. The young man provided a medical report stating that his growth was not complete. »
Perhaps the CH played with fire by drafting Lane Hutson at the very end or almost of the second round, at 62e rank, with the Edmonton Oilers pick obtained for rental player Brett Kulak. He was able to draft beforehand, after Slafkovsky, Mesar at 26e rank and Owen Beck at 33e.
Two years and a few months later, only ten players from the 2022 vintage have had, or will have had, the honor of playing in the opening match of the 2024-2025 season (we would like to include Cutter Gauthier, Pavel Mintyukov , Tristan Luneau and Conor Geekie, whose clubs, Anaheim and Tampa, have not yet played a match). Of these ten players, half were drafted in the top 57 in the top 15 and 2 in the second round, Luneau and Hutson.
In just four games, both against Detroit late last season and two this season, Hutson already has four assists. The sample is obviously minimal, but for the sake of it, here it is already at 10e rank of scorers of the vintage, 3 points from Shane Wright, who played 17 games, and 15 points from the first defender, Simon Nemec, second choice, who played 59 more games. Let’s see where this ranking will be in two years, in five years…
Hutson, 20, was the Canadian’s best defender with Kaiden Guhle, 22, Thursday night in Boston. He played 22 min 48 s, for an average of 20 min 35 s after two games, third among the Canadians behind Mike Matheson and Guhle.
His games of 21:54 and 23:32 at the end of last season against Detroit, in games with no meaning in the standings, served as an evaluation. This time, there is something at stake and coach Martin St-Louis is not afraid to send him on the ice.
Hutson is not only generating excitement in the Montreal market. At the end of August, former Columbus Blue Jackets defender Jean-Luc Grand-Pierre, now a Blue Jackets analyst and contributor to RDS, declared on BPM Sports that Hutson’s ceiling was higher than that of of Adam Fantilli, third pick in 2023 and the Jackets’ top prospect. “Call me crazy,” he told host Martin Lemay, “but I would say that Hutson is going to be above Fantilli, and I have [souvent] seen, Fantilli, here. »
Another former defenseman, Ryan Whitney, fifth pick in 2002 by the Penguins, was also full of praise for the Canadian’s rookie a few weeks ago. “He’s so dynamic and special,” he said during the popular podcast Spittin Chiclets. He’s going to turn heads this season. It’s a nice little bet for the Calder Trophy. I believe he is capable of amassing 50 points because I saw his matches [dans les rangs collégiaux]. It looked like he was going up against high school players. »
Others who place him among the favorites in the race for the Calder Trophy awarded to the rookie par excellence? Former coach Pierre McGuire (The Sick Podcast), Jason Bukala (Sportsnet), Frank Seravalli (Daily Faceoff) and Mike G. Morreale (NHL.com).
The distinguished Elliotte Friedman also said in his podcast The 32 Thoughts in September having heard Canadian players predict the Calder in Hutson. “The guys from Montreal think this boy is the real deal [the real deal]. I can’t wait to see him at work in the big matches. You can see the talent. »
The season is young, CH will perhaps be in the mix without participating in the series, but we shouldn’t get bored, while waiting for better days…
Quote of the day
[Macklin] Celebrini was very good. It’s not just about his points. He has some things to learn without the puck, but he and Will Smith were solid in their debut.
Ryan Warsofsky, head coach of the San Jose Sharks
In his first NHL game, 2024 first pick Macklin Celebrini had a goal and an assist and played 17:35 Thursday night against the St. Louis Blues. Will Smith, fourth choice in 2023, was more discreet in 13 min 41 s of work. San Jose led 4-1 after two periods, but lost 5-4 in overtime.