Not a day has gone by since the start of training camp without Lane Hutson’s name being at the center of discussions. And for good reason. Despite his 20 years, the defender is a true phenomenon.
The season is still young. The Canadian’s opponents don’t know him and the weight of the travel and the long schedule has not yet started to be felt. However, it has been a long time in the Habs camp since we have seen an athlete have such an immediate impact at such a young age.
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PK Subban is possibly the last. He had a good run in the spring of 2010 after playing two regular season games in February. And there again. Subban had the spectacular touch, but he didn’t set a team record like the rookie just did: six assists in the first five games of his career.
The previous mark of five belonged to John Chabot and Joel Hanley. We are far from talking about the same category of players.
Hutson is in a class of his own. There would undoubtedly be those who would question this assertion if the comparisons came from members of the journalistic fraternity or supporters. But we’re not the only ones getting excited.
Stamkos flashbacks…
Hutson’s impact on his team is reminiscent, for Martin St-Louis, of that of a future NHL star with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
“When I was 33, I saw an 18-year-old Steven Stamkos coming. It wasn’t as immediate, because of the way they were using him at the time, said the Canadiens’ head coach after Saturday night’s game. But later in the season he scored a hat trick. From that moment, we knew he was going to score a bunch of goals in the NHL.
No, Stamkos’s beginnings had not been as successful as Hutson’s. Warming the bench more often than not under the orders of Barry Melrose, he had to wait eight games before obtaining his first point and one more before scoring his first goal.
“He’s not ready for the NHL,” declared Melrose, fired after the 16e match of the season.
The rest is history.
“We were excited to have this weapon,” said St-Louis, still about Stamkos. Lane’s consistency and seeing that he can defend, that he’s not just a specialist in mass attack, that he likes to have possession of the puck at five on five, that excites the guys. »
…and a Calder finalist
David Savard, who has played to the right of the young man since his arrival with the team during the 81e match of the last campaign, is in the front row to appreciate the extent of his talent.
He sees similarities between Hutson’s rapid adaptation and that of Zach Werenski, one of his partners when he played for the Columbus Blue Jackets.
“That’s the closest thing to him. In his first season, Werenski had excellent moments with us,” underlined the Maskoutain.
So much so that Werenski, fresh out of the American collegiate ranks after two years, like Hutson, was a finalist for rookie of the year.
“The season is still long, but it’s nice to see the way Lane is going. It’s fun to have a young person who has an impact from the start, said the Canadian veteran. We will continue to support him to help him reach his potential.”
A potential that seems quite high, thank you.