The Montreal Canadiens and defenseman Lane Hutson finally came to an agreement on an eight-year, $70.8 million contract extension after a long, contentious battle at the negotiation table.
After playing a full season in the NHL, Hutson was immediately considered one of the better defensive players in the league. He played in all 82 games of the season and registered 66 points – the seventh most out of all defensemen last season.
Hutson dazzled everyone in the hockey world with his ability to skate circles around the opposition, play with an active offensive mindset, while also never losing his man should he pinch deep into the offensive zone.
And he did it all at the age of 21.
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Hockey fans may remember when Hutson, in his draft year, significantly dropped after consistent first-round projections. There were several concerns about his 5-foot-9 162 162-pound frame and whether he was able to withstand the pressure of NHL players.
But after signing his entry-level contract after his freshman year at Boston University, Hutson showed that he not only could withstand the physicality of the NHL, but he could also thrive in it.
But because of the NHL’s Collective Bargaining Agreement, if you sign your contract out of college, there’s no nine-game exception like there is for junior hockey. Hutson played the final two games of the 2023-24 season, and just like that, the first year of his entry-level contract wore off.
Which is why we were in this position in the first place. Currently, Hutson is in the final year of his first contract, and after the Canadiens gave defenseman Noah Dobson an eight-year contract worth over $9.5 million, all eyes pointed to Canadiens General Manager Kent Hughes and Hutson’s representation.
It was getting to the point where it was getting emotional. After seeing fellow young defensemen Luke Hughes and Jackson LaCombe get contracts worth $9 million per year, it seemed like Hutson was going to command even more than that.
NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman pointed out on his podcast ‘32 Thoughts’ last week:
“I think this negotiation has gotten very emotional, and I think everybody needs a timeout.”
To Friedman’s point, that’s exactly what happened, as Hutson actually took less money than Hughes and LaCombe, and put the Canadiens in a tremendously good position for when the salary cap rises.
There’s always been a stigma with smaller players in the NHL. It used to be a league filled with brawny 30-plus-year-olds who were average skaters at best, but the game has gotten significantly younger and more agile as time has progressed.
Hutson’s superior skating ability has managed to separate him from the pack. As we’ve seen time and time again in this league, size doesn’t really matter anymore.
You can be a big body, but if you can’t play the right way, players will skate circles around you.
Be elite at one thing and watch your game flourish. That’s what helped Hutson secure the elusive eight-year deal.
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