Canadiens Daily
Habs Daily: Hutson’s Excellence, AHL Call-Up Options, 4 Nations

Here are the Montreal Canadiens news items, highlights, and stories you may have missed on Friday.
Montreal Canadiens News
Given that he’s a defenceman that’s leading all rookies in scoring this season, there’s no doubt Lane Hutson should be included in every Calder Trophy conversation, and if we’re being honest, he should probably be considered the front-runner. One of the reasons he’s managed to produce at such an impressive pace is his penchant for creating high-danger chances with passes through the slot, something he does better than every other defenceman in the NHL. [Calder Talk: Canadiens Lane Hutson Historical Scoring Comparison]
Lane Hutson completed his 100th pass to the slot yesterday, the first defenseman to reach the mark this season. #GoHabsGo
Slot pass completions
Among defensemen1. Hutson 100
2. Karlsson 90
3. Q. Hughes 81
4. Dobson 80
5. Fox 78Powered by @Sportlogiq pic.twitter.com/miI2Xw8d2N
— Billy P. Bertrand (@BillypBertrand) January 17, 2025
Even though the Habs don’t necessarily need to promote anyone from the AHL at this exact moment, Michael Pezzetta’s recent streak of penalties suggests the team may look for an alternative option from the Laval Rocket. Joshua Roy and Alex Barre-Boulet lead the Rocket in scoring, but if the goal is to replace Pezzetta the Canadiens should look to other players. That’s where Jared Davidson and Owen Beck come into play. [Montreal Canadiens Call-Up Options From The Laval Rocket]
The most notable aspect of Dobes’ great play is how little daily he offers to shooters. He covers so much of the net that forwards are starting to overthink their shots, and even when he’s at a disadvantage due to an odd-man rush, Dobes still manages to make saves look easy.
Another great save by Jakub Dobes. He shuts down the 2v1 with ease. #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/RxMZcVtoEw
— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) January 17, 2025
Stu Cowan over at the Montreal Gazette spoke to former Canadiens defenceman Larry Robinson about Martin St-Louis’ results in Montreal. For what it’s worth, thanks to a streak of firings, St-Louis is now the fifth-longest tenured head coach in the NHL. Technically, Andre Tourigny has been coaching longer, but the move to Utah reset the clock on his tenure with the organization.
My column on Larry Robinson being very impressed with job Martin St. Louis has done as coach of #Habs. The former Canadien can relate to making adjustment from Hall of Fame player to NHL head coach, noting it isn’t easy #HabsIO: https://t.co/5b4MrhDZiO
— Stu Cowan (@StuCowan1) January 17, 2025
Hey Jakub, I wouldn’t worry about it! The fans are clearly in your corner, as is the organization.
“When I was in Laval, I wanted to be here (with the Habs). The one thing is, I want to prove that l belong here. The second thing is, I kinda wanna show everyone that they made the right choice…”
– Jakub Dobes yesterday pic.twitter.com/WHWWbm04cG
— /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) January 17, 2025
Joel Armia had a career-high eight hits on Thursday versus the Dallas Stars, though the most impressive shift from the Finn took place without the benefit of a having a stick to work with.
🏠 #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/bremr0aTHv
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) January 17, 2025
This isn’t particularly shocking, but apparently tickets for the 4 Nations Faceoff are not selling very well. It probably doesn’t help that it’s definitely not a best-on-best tournament, even if they advertise it as such (with a heavy dose of irony, given the tournament name). It also doesn’t help that they’re incredibly overpriced.
Wasn’t surprised to hear on TSN’s Hockey Insiders segment during intermission of #Habs game last night that tickets sales for the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament in Montreal and Boston aren’t doing great. #HabsIO
— Stu Cowan (@StuCowan1) January 17, 2025
National Hockey Now Network
Florida Panthers captain Sasha Barkov is not exactly a guy who wears his emotions on his sleeve. But when he was named Finland’s Sportsman of the Year — the first hockey player ever so honoured — it was obvious that he was touched and, based on his reaction, floored. [Florida Panthers]
Detroit Red Wings coach Todd McLellan has a little bit of Abraham Lincoln in his leadership approach. [Detroit Red Wings]
Over the last little while, the New Jersey Devils weaknesses have exposed themselves. It’s not unlike anything we’ve already mentioned before. The Devils need depth scoring, and they need it as soon as possible. The Devils general manager explained in a recent interview that he’s “open-minded” when it comes to the NHL trade market. [New Jersey Devils]