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Analyst Shares His Doubts on Lane Hutson: are Fans Too Optimistic?


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Aaron Itovitch
January 4, 2024  (8:05 PM)
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Montreal Canadiens top prospect Lane Hutson
Photo credit: Sports Audit

Since being selected 62nd overall by the Montreal Canadiens, Lane Hutson has been turning heads, especially among Montreal fans. The 19-year-old defenseman has been outstanding since joining Boston University.

His recent performances have apparently impressed the Canadiens' management, as Kent Hughes has indicated that the CH prospect will likely sign his entry-level NHL contract after his university season. This means we might see the young prodigy in action at the Bell Centre in the coming months.
Lane Hutson's university statistics:

ˇ 2022-2023: 15 goals and 33 assists (48 points) in 39 games
ˇ 2023-2024: 8 goals and 12 assists (20 points) in 15 games

ˇ Total: 23 goals and 45 assists (68 points) in 54 games

Known for his exceptional offensive skills, Lane Hutson is destined to become the future quarterback of Montreal's power play. His extraordinary vision, ability to evade opponents, and support for the attack will make him a dangerous offensive defenseman in the NHL. Some experts already compare him to Quinn Hughes.
However, his defensive game has drawn criticism. At 5'10" and weighing around 160 pounds, Hutson doesn't have the ideal size to face the NHL's power forwards and might struggle along the boards or in front of the Canadiens' net. Analyst Simon Boisvert has been particularly harsh, stating that Hutson isn't currently ready for the NHL's pace.
I really think he needs to go to Laval because, for me, for now, he's a power-play specialist at a higher level, but that's it. You analyze his game, the guy makes a lot of mistakes, often gets outmaneuvered, struggles to win puck battles, and his backward skating isn't refined enough to defend in a league that's extremely fast and where players are extremely strong.

In my opinion, if you put him in the NHL right now, he's going to get outmaneuvered quite a bit. He needs to improve his physical strength, his backward skating, and become a more complete defenseman. For now, if he played for the Canadiens, I would only play him on the power play. - Simon Boisvert

Wow, that's a pretty harsh analysis of the Canadiens' top prospect.
Obviously, Hutson has some defensive weaknesses, but there's no doubt he could make his mark, even this season. We are eager to see him in a Canadiens uniform at the end of the season to demonstrate his full talent against the world's best players.
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Analyst Shares His Doubts on Lane Hutson: are Fans Too Optimistic?

Do you think Lane Hutson is ready for the NHL?

Yes16048.5 %
No17051.5 %
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