Phenom Lane Hutson Among NHL Calder Trophy Finalists

Montreal Canadiens defenceman Lane Hutson is a finalist for the Calder Trophy, given annually to the rookie judged most proficient by the Professional Hockey Writer’s Association.

Hutson joins Macklin Celebrini (San Jose Sharks) and Dustin Wolf (Calgary Flames), which means Philadelphia Flyers rookie Matvei Michkov did not make the cut despite enjoying a very solid rookie season.

You never want to take anything for granted in professional sports, but the announcement is very much a formality in Hutson’s case.

Simply put, he enjoyed one of the best rookie seasons from a defenceman in league history, whereas his counterparts had very respectable freshman campaigns in the NHL.

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With six goals and 60 assists to his credit, Hutson finished with more points than roughly 99.99 percent of rookie defencemen that came before him, which helped power the Montreal Canadiens to a surprise playoff appearance. It’s also worth remembering he finished with more points than any rookie forward this year, doing so as a defenceman.

We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again. Hutson is the rising tide that floated all the Habs boats.

We do have to give some credit to head coach Martin St-Louis, as he gave his dominant rookie as much ice time as possible, while also allowing for some mistakes seeing as Hutson was learning on the fly.

Of course, a quick look at the team’s lineup also speaks to why Hutson was immediately trusted, but beyond the coach and the roster construction, there’s no doubt Montreal landed a player with elite potential when they picked Hutson 62nd overall in 2022. Yes, you read that right, 61 players were picked ahead of Hutson, including three selections made by the Canadiens.

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The fear was that Hutson would not be able to achieve the same level of excellence as he did in lower levels. He would no longer have enough time and space to execute his high-difficulty plays when facing opponents that tower over him.

He may be smaller than most players, but the processor between his ears allows him to anticipate the play before most opponents have a chance to come within hitting range, as evidenced by the endless list of highlight reel plays Hutson put together during his rookie season in the NHL.

Lane Hutson is the perfect real-world sports example of the value of picking brains over brawn.