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“Can Lane Hutson play defensively in the NHL? Probably not”

MONTREAL, CANADA - APRIL 16: Lane Hutson #48 of the Montreal Canadiens skates during the second period against the Detroit Red Wings at the Bell Centre on April 16, 2024 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Detroit Red Wings defeated the Montreal Canadiens 5-4 in a shootout (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)

The Lane Hutson case is the talk of the town.

First of all, right now, a lot of people are assuming that he’ll be able to break into the Canadiens’ lineup next training camp. I’m inclined to agree.

Unless he has a really bad training camp, of course.

But even if Lane Hutson plays in the NHL from the start of the season, we’ll have to wonder how much Martin St-Louis will make him play five-on-five, and how consistently he’ll play every game for his club.

In recent years, there’s only been one young defender who never skipped a turn when healthy: Kaiden Guhle. All the others have already visited the press gallery when they could play. #Rotation

We have to wonder whether Lane Hutson would fit into such a rotation, as the Anaheim Ducks did with Leo Carlsson and used the famous load management.

Load management means managing young players’ playing time. And according to Pierre McGuire, as he discussed on Tony Marinaro’s Sick Podcast last night, Hutson is a candidate to “fall victim” to such a practice. At least, that’s what the analyst believes.

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One of the reasons the Habs might do it would be to protect Hutson defensively. Because, in McGuire’s eyes, even if the American defenseman already has the offensive talent to play in the NHL, it’s not the same in his zone.

Here’s what he had to say on the subject.

Lane Hutson brings NHL skills to your team. He’s ready in terms of NHL skills.

Can Lane Hutson play defense in the NHL? Probably not. Can he play offensively in the NHL? 100%. – Pierre McGuire

That’s why McGuire still suggests the possibility of the Habs playing with seven defensemen: to allow guys like Lane Hutson less exposure in the NHL.

Remember that yesterday, in an interview with GM Kent Hughes on BPM Sports, Tony Marinaro asked the GM if he’d be open to seeing Martin St-Louis use seven defensemen, particularly to help Hutson.

The GM’s answer? If Hutson can’t hold his own, he’ll go to the AHL. After all, the Habs don’t want to hide him or simply make him an offensive specialist on the blue line.

In my opinion, pairing him with David Savard is probably the right thing to do this year. Savard, for better or worse, is everything Lane Hutson isn’t: experienced, very defensive, massive and right-handed.

Overtime

– We’ll have to wait and see.

– He’ll be in demand. Who can afford him, though?

– He’s happy to stay in town.

– The NHL is always looking to improve.