The Montreal Canadiens made the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2025. And their young players were a major reason why. Chief among them being defenseman Lane Hutson. Many believed Hutson had the makings of a future star. And we may be on the verge of seeing this come to fruition in short order.
Hutson played his first full NHL season in 2024-25. He may not have been able to script his performance any better. The Canadiens star scored six goals and 66 points in 82 games. With Noah Dobson joining through trade and a full season of Ivan Demidov, Hutson could realistically perform even better in 2025-26.
Habs fans already hold Hutson in high regard. Now, Canadiens legends are coming out to express their praise for the young defenseman. In fact, Montreal icon Serge Savard sees a legendary player in Hutson when he watches him play.
“Time will tell, but he’s probably the most talented player the Canadiens have had since Guy Lafleur,” Savard said, via NHL.com. “Ever since I saw him, from the very beginning, I said he was the Canadiens’ best player. I was convinced early on that he would be a big star in the National Hockey League.”
Lane Hutson’s Agility, Fearlessness Impress Savard
Minas Panagiotakis/Getty ImagesMontreal Canadiens star Lane Hutson has a very bright future ahead.
One knock on Hutson as a player is his size. The 21-year-old Michigan native is rather undersized for the position, standing 5’9″ on the ice. For a position that demands size, it’s a major risk playing a smaller player against those who could stand half a foot taller than him at least.
However, Hutson looks like a natural on the backend. His defense certainly needs work, and his size could be a contributing factor. But he understands his position, and he understands how to use his smaller stature to his advantage.
“The things he can do, not many people can do that,” Savard continued. “Naturally, you’re always scared when a 6-foot-4 guy comes from his blind side at 100 miles an hour, but he’s so agile and always finds a way to get out of the way. He’s not afraid to play when a game is very intense.”
Another Canadiens Icon Expresses Excitement Over Hutson
Savard was not the only Canadiens icon who had praise for Montreal’s young star. Former defenseman Larry Robinson also had kind words for Hutson. And he likened the talk about Hutson’s height to how people spoke about The Great One in his day.
“It reminds me a lot of what people used to say in Wayne Gretzky’s day. They said he wasn’t big enough and that he was going to get hurt. Look at what he’s done, it’s not so bad! It’s exciting for the city of Montreal to have a player like Hutson,” the former Canadiens star told Journal de Montreal, translated by NHL.com.
Of course, Hutson and Gretzky are not the same player. But to be compared to players such as Gretzky and Lafleur are massive accomplishments for the Canadiens defenseman. It will be intriguing to see if he can continue living up to this sort of praise in the years to come.
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