Fatigue is starting to catch up with Lane Hutson

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Playing significant minutes right from his arrival in the NHL can be very exhausting. That is exactly the task that Lane Hutson must accomplish this season.

He is the second most utilized player on the Canadiens, just behind Mike Matheson. Hutson averages 22:37 per game.

Hutson was used to playing important minutes with Boston College and the U.S. team at the Junior World Championship, but he was playing many fewer games.

As Arpon Basu from The Athletic pointed out in a piece he published on Monday, Hutson has now played 49 games this season. That’s two more games than the 47 he played during the 2023-24 season with Boston College, the Canadiens, and the United States.

The excuse of fatigue would be easy for a rookie player to use, but that’s not what he wants to do. In front of the media members, he insists that he has simply not played his best hockey in the last games and that he just needs to be better.

It’s a good thing to see Hutson avoiding easy excuses. It’s exactly the kind of attitude that everyone loves to see in a hockey player.

Hutson even recently mentioned that he would give himself a grade of “C” or “D” for some of his recent games. As Basu explained in his piece, if that is the worst of Lane Hutson, then the games where he gives himself a “B” must be incredible.

The American defenseman has not had his best games in the last two outings of the Canadiens, not registering any points and finishing with a -2 rating, but he has not been the worst player on the ice. Hutson demands a lot from himself.

It is certain that he has flaws, and that is a good thing. Having flaws helps us work on ourselves in a positive way.

For example, Hutson should do a better job of covering the slot. According to data from the NHL’s Edge software shared by François-David Rouleau from the Journal de Montréal, Samuel Montembeault is the goalie who has faced the most high-risk shots in the NHL this season with 291.

The American defenseman was on the ice 121 times out of 291. That is the second highest total on the team behind Mike Matheson’s (149), who is his defensive partner.

Lane Hutson may be going through a rough patch and needs to improve some aspects of his game, but he is aware of it and will evolve with more experience in the NHL. He should be able to find his usual level of play very soon.

In Brief

– The NFL and the Canadiens are popular.

– A player with potential.

– Wow!

– Stuart Skinner’s child is born!

– MLS could be a good option.