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A Gift to the Fans: Hutson Signed |
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Follow me @KarineHains for all updates about the Montreal Canadiens and women's hockey
Nearly two years ago when the Canadiens drafted Lane Hutson, most of their fans had no idea who he was. Oh, how things have changed since then! After the draft, Hutson headed to Boston University where he played two seasons of NCAA hockey. In each of those seasons, he was an offensive force for BU and he even broke Brian Leetch scoring record last season when he put up 48 points the most points by an under-19 defenseman in a single NCAA season.
This year, he put up 49 points and was tied first with Zeev Buium for most points by a defenseman. He had such a good season that he was also a top-10 Hobey Baker finalist, just like he had been last season. Unfortunately for Hutson, he came up short in his attempt to win the Frozen Four after last night’s overtime defeat against Denver. Asked about joining the Habs shortly after the defeat, Hutson said he would see, that no decision had been made, leading to speculation that he might have wanted to go back to BU to give it another shot for the Frozen Four. Today though, he had made up his mind and signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Canadiens.
The pact starts now and is good until the end of the 2025-2026 season at which time he will be a restricted free agent. Hutson’s agent is Sean Coffey from Quartexx Management, Kent Hughes’ former firm. Chances are that the negotiations were quite swift. Puckpedia details the deal as follows for 2023-2024; $855,000 in salary and a $ 95,000 signing bonus, for 2024-2025: the same breakdown but with an added $ 750,000 “A” performance bonus. For the final year, the performance bonus “A” goes up to $ 850,000. Overall, the contract has a $2,855,000 value and carries a $950,000 cap hit. When his deal expires, according to Puckpedia, the qualifying offer will stand at $898,000.
Now, for the fun part, the team has confirmed Hutson will be joining the team in Detroit on Sunday. No word yet if he’ll be in the line-up, but considering he is a native of Holland, Michigan, it would make plenty of sense to give him a home-state debut.
If you’ve yet to see Hutson work his magic, head over to X where there are quite a few videos of some of his best moves. It will be interesting to see if as a 5-foot-10 and 162 lb defenseman, he’ll be able to succeed like he has before turning pro. If his game translates well in the NHL or if, as Marty St.Louis would say, he’s able to bring his game into the game, fans will be in for a treat. If you have already given up on watching the end of yet another unsuccessful season, may I suggest tuning in for the last two games? Who knows, maybe Hutson will make it worth your while!
Montreal Canadiens Blogger • 
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