Canadiens: Hutson Makes The Top 20 Defensemen List

On Wednesday, NHL Network released its list of the Top 20 Defensemen Right Now, and one Montreal Canadiens’ blueliner made it: Calder Trophy winner Lane Hutson. The 21-year-old is the only rearguard on the list to have a single season of experience at the professional level, and he comes in at number 19, which is a remarkable achievement at his young age.

Every other player on the list has at least three years of experience in the NHL. Unsurprisingly, Colorado Avalanche stud Cale Makar tops the ranking, followed by Vancouver Canucks captain Quinn Hughes, and Columbus Blue Jackets’ Zach Werenski rounds up the top three.

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Canadian teams are well represented on the list with Hughes, Winnipeg Jets’ Josh Morrissey at number six, Edmonton Oilers’ Evan Bouchard at number 10, Ottawa Senators’ Jake Sanderson at number 13, and Hutson at 19.

Former Hab Mikail Sergachev, whom Marc Bergevin sacrificed to acquire Jonathan Drouin, who he believed would be the Canadiens’ number one center, comes in at number 18. The 27-year-old has won two Stanley Cups with the Tampa Bay Lightning and now sports the Utah Mammoth colours.

Despite his young age, Hutson made the list on the back of a fantastic rookie season which saw him post 66 points and break the Canadiens’ franchise record for the most points by a defenseman which belonged to Chris Chelios since 1984-85 on top of tying Larry Myrphys’ record for the most assists by a rookie blueliner, a mark that he held since the 1980-81 season.

Outside of the offensive numbers, Hutson also impressed with his skating skills and ability to evade opponents on the ice. The soon-to-be sophomore has a knack for reading the play on the go and is never caught with his head down. His elusiveness is what allows him to be so efficient despite his small stature.

The way he rebounds from an error on the ice is also impressive. When he’s dispossessed in the offensive zone, he wastes no time lamenting his mistake; he immediately back checks to catch up to the opponent and fix his mistake himself. The way he wants the puck in high-pressure situations is also nothing short of remarkable. No moment is too big for the youngster. If the Canadiens desperately need a goal, he wants to be the one carrying the puck and trying to score the next goal.

He quickly realized the need to pick his spots better in the NHL, adapting his play to the higher level and minimizing mistakes, which earned him more and more ice time as the season progressed. Fully aware of the gem he had on his hands, coach Martin St-Louis rapidly promoted him to the first power play unit, demoting veteran Mike Matheson in the process and helping his rookie fly to a Calder-winning season.

Expect the youngster to move up this list next offseason when the NHL Network does it again. As impressive as Hutson’s first campaign was, there’s no way we’ve seen his ceiling yet, and as he gains experience and puts up some more muscle on his frame, he’ll become an even bigger threat on the ice.

One can expect the Canadiens’ power play to perform even better this season with Ivan Demidov entering the fold, and this should benefit Hutson in a big way, providing he remains on the first unit despite Noah Dobson’s arrival. Given the youngster’s efficiency on the man-advantage last year, though, it would be surprising to see St-Louis decide to move him down to the second power play, but time will tell. Yet another story to follow at training camp when it kicks off in September.

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