Canadiens Analysis
Hutson Calder Trophy Win Fitting Reward, Helps Improve Perception
There was some great news for Montreal Canadiens phenom Lane Hutson on Tuesday, as the 21-year-old defenceman took home the Calder Trophy, awarded annually to the player deemed the most proficient in their rookie year of competition in the National Hockey League.
Despite the unreasonable amount of contrived criticism sent his way, it was evident that Hutson was the front-runner, making this a well-deserved win for the Michigan native. He outproduced almost 99.99 percent of all rookie defenceman seasons put together in NHL history, with six goals and an incredible 60 assists to his credit.
ON TOPIC: Canadiens Calder Trophy Talk – The Strong Case For Lane Hutson
On top of generating an impressive amount of offence, Hutson was the rising tide that lifted all boats, leading to a surprise appearance in the NHL playoffs for the Montreal Canadiens. That’s not to say he was the lone player driving the play, especially when we consider Nick Suzuki also enjoyed a fantastic year, but suffice it to say Hutson’s impact was impossible to ignore.
Hutson is the seventh Canadiens player to win the award, and the first since goaltender Ken Dryden took it home in 1971-72.
🗣️ LANE HUTSON IS YOUR ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
The Hutson family gathered to surprise Lane with the Calder Memorial Trophy. 🥹
Catch the 2025 #NHLAwards before Game 4 of the #StanleyCup Final on June 12 at 6p ET on @NHL_On_TNT and @Sportsnet! pic.twitter.com/n29nqp4lLv
— NHL (@NHL) June 10, 2025
Lane Hutson Votes
The voting was fairly consistent, with Hutson taking home 165 of the available first-place votes. Dustin Wolf finished a distant second, with forwards Macklin Celebrini and Matvei Michkov finished third and fourth, respectively. It should be noted that 26 PHWA voters decided that Hutson’s historic season was not worthy of a first-place vote despite breaking numerous records,
Final voting results for the 2024-25 Calder Trophy: pic.twitter.com/nsK0fyUj0g
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) June 10, 2025
Montreal Canadiens Brass Tacks
Winning the Calder Trophy is a fantastic feather in Hutson’s cap, and speaks to his excellence in just his first professional season.
In classic Hutsonian fashion, the flashy defenceman was quick to thank the fans, who quickly adopted him as their favourite player on the ice from the very moment he joined the Canadiens.
“When you go on the road for however many games, you always look forward to the next one back home,” he said. “They’re the heartbeat of our team. It’s what makes playing in Montreal special.”
It’s the type of comment from a top-tier player Canadiens fans have wanted to hear in the last few decades, connoting that perception of Montreal’s future is clearly heading in the right direction, a side effect of the great work put in place ever since Kent Hughes took over as the team’s general manager.
#Habs Lane Hutson: “we have a pretty special thing going on in Montreal and I’m just fortunate I get to be a part of it.”
— Priyanta Emrith (@HabsInHighHeels) June 10, 2025
Congratulations Lane .
You so are deserving if this enormous honor.
Not even close. Way to go, Lane! Thankfully, this time the hockey writers got it right. And they got thbe second place winner right too. Defence and goal — the two hardest positions to play. No disrespect to Celebrini and Michkov.
This is fantastic news, and Hutson is in fine company with previous Hab (and league) rookie winners. This was a totally deserved win. And if things play out as expected, Montreal could win back-to-back Calder trophys after (fingers crossed) Demidov snags it next year!
How about back to back to back with Fowler the year after!!!
Congrats Lane… but can someone please explain how in the world Celebrini and Wolf each received a 5th place vote? Michkov, Celebrini, Wolf, and Hutson were head and shoulders above all other rookies. The only argument to me was the sequence. How did a couple of voters drop them down to 5th?
All the more reason to get this kid signed for a max 8yr contract as soon as we can.