On Tuesday, the NHL kept going with its top 15 assists from the 2025-26 season, and Montreal Canadiens defenseman Lane Hutson made the list for the second time with the third-best assist of the season. It’s the third time a Hab player appears on the list, after Juraj Slafkovsky manufactured the 13th-best helper and Hutson appeared for the first time at number eight. So far, Hutson and Connor McDavid are the only players to appear twice on the list.
Hutson’s first appearance came thanks to a stretch pass he made to Cole Caufield after blocking a shot that was heading for the Canadiens’ empty net in a game against the Nashville Predators. It led to the sniper tying the game and, later on, winning it for the Habs in overtime.
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Hutson’s second appearance on the list is down to a sequence in which he beat three Florida Panthers in a footrace, mesmerizing them all. So much so that they only had eyes for the blueliner, and once they were all out of position, just like the goaltender, he sent the puck back in front of the net, giving Nick Suzuki one of his easiest goals of the season.
That was yet another game-tying goal, which came with the Habs’ net being empty. It just goes to show that Hutson is the kind of player who wants the puck when the game is on the line. The Canadiens ended up winning that game as well, this time in the shootout, with Caufield and Alexandre Texier finding the back of the net. Clearly, Caufield is not the only clutch player on the Canadiens, and Hutson’s competitive level is nothing short of impressive to see. The defenseman never gives up on a game; whether it’s about defending or attacking, he gives it his all.
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