The NHL announced the three nominees for the Calder Trophy on Monday, and there were no surprises. Former first-round pick and San Jose Sharks center Macklin Celebrini, Calgary Flames netminder Dustin Wolf, and Montreal Canadiens defenseman Lane Hutson are the three players in contention.
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Hutson’s nomination is probably the least surprising of the three since the 21-year-old blueliner has had what can only be described as a historic season. With 66 points, Hutson has produced the 4th highest total ever by a rookie defenseman in the NHL (behind Larry Murphy (76), Brian Leetch (71), and Gary Suter (68)). His 60 assists tied the NHL record set by Murphy in 1980-81. The Habs’ rearguard led the rookie race from start to finish, with Celibrini coming in second with 63 points and Philadelphia Flyers Matvei Michkov third with 63 points, but in more games than the Sharks’ forward.
The youngster was also seventh in points amongst all NHL defensemen this season, second in assists, and fourth amongst all players when it came to stealing pucks from opponents with 56; only Jacob Slavin, Cale Makar, and Mitch Marner had more steals. The diminutive defenseman dished out 40 hits on the season. While that’s not a lot, it’s better than Shea Theodore, who had six, Cam Fowler, who had eight, and Quinn Hughes, who only landed 13.
His 66 points also made him the most productive rookie defenseman in Canadiens’ history, overtaking Chris Chelios, who had set the mark with 64 in 1984-85. He was also third in scoring on the Canadiens this season behind Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield. Hutson was about more than points though, his creativity and spectacular play made him an instant fan favourite.
The last time a defenseman won the Calder Trophy was in 2021-22 when Detroit Red Wings’ Moritz Seider put up 50 points. Colorado Avalanche’s Cale Makar also won it with the same amount of points in 2019-20, but it was in 57 games only. When Aaron Ekblad grabbed it in 2014-15, he had 39 points in 81 games, but he was a much more defensive kind of blueliner.
It’s been a long time since a netminder has won the award. Steve Mason did it last in 2008-09. That year, he won 33 games and had a 2.29 goals-against average and a .916 save percentage. In comparison, Wolf had a 29-16-8 record with a 2.64 GAA and a .910 SP. While he did have an impressive season, his chances would have been much better had he been able to guide the Flames to the playoffs.
The winner will be announced in June at a date yet to be revealed by the NHL, which makes sense since it’s too early to know when the playoffs will end.
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