Montreal Canadiens defenceman Lane Hutson has established himself as one of the NHL’s elite at his position in only his first season. The young blueliner had a historic rookie season. He tied the NHL record for assists by a rookie defenceman with 60. Also, his 66 total points were seventh amongst all d-men in the NHL. As a 21-year-old rookie, Hutson’s accomplishments are beyond impressive. He has already established himself as the team’s number one defenceman and the face of the franchise’s future.
Now, as of July 1st, Hutson is eligible to sign an extension with the Canadiens. He will become a restricted free agent as of next summer. While Montreal hasn’t been in a rush to sign Hutson to an extension this summer, they certainly won’t let him get to RFA status and risk an offer sheet. With that being said, let’s take a look around the league at some defencemen who can be good contract comparable benchmarks for Montreal Canadiens Lane Hutson.
Lane Hutson Comparable Contracts
Noah Dobson
Potentially, the best contract comparable to Lane Hutson has also found himself in Montreal. On draft day, the Canadiens acquired defenceman Noah Dobson from the New York Islanders. They quickly inked him to an eight-year extension carrying an annual value of 9.5 million. The 25-year-old Dobson will now be a staple of the Canadiens’ lineup for nearly the next decade. We could also see him playing alongside Hutson in the coming years, forming one of the NHL’s most exciting young pairings.
As a former player agent, general manager Kent Hughes has been a master of contract negotiations throughout his tenure with Montreal. Previously, Hughes created an internal cap within the organization. No player had been signed to a larger extension than captain Nick Suzuki, who makes $7.85 million annually. Players within the organization, like Cole Caufield, Juraj Slafkovsky, and Kaiden Guhle, all signed for less on their deals. Dobson was the first player to break this trend, outside of Patrik Laine; however, his deal wasn’t signed by Hughes. With the internal cap hit being broken, Hutson will be able to use his new teammate’s contract as leverage in his negotiations. We could see him sign a similar deal to Dobson and thus potentially create a new internal cap hit and hierarchy within the organization in terms of contracts.
Zach Werenski
Columbus Blue Jackets defender Zach Werenski is coming off a career year. He posted 82 points, including 23 goals, topping his previous best of 57 points. In doing so, he also earned himself a Norris Trophy nomination. He has now cemented himself as one of the league’s premier defensemen. Lane Hutson will also hope to be receiving Norris nominations in the near future.
Werenski signed a very similar contract to Noah Dobson earlier in his career. He is headed into the fourth year of a six-year deal carrying just over $9.5 million annually. The contract will take him to age 30, where he will then become a UFA. Werenski is currently 28 and signed the contract when he was much older than Hutson. He was also signed for only six years, while Montreal will likely try and get the max term on Hutson’s new deal. Still, the dollar amount is similar to what we can expect him to receive, and we can expect Lane Hutson to put up similar numbers to Werenski throughout his career.
Rasmus Dahlin
Much like Hutson, Rasmus Dahlin was once one of the NHL’s best and most exciting young defencemen. After being drafted first overall in 2018 by the Buffalo Sabres, big things were expected in Dahlin’s future. Over the last several seasons, he has blossomed offensively on a Sabres team that has struggled. At 25, the young blueliner is heading into the second year of an eight-year deal that carries an annual average of eleven million.
Dahlin’s deal is on the higher end of the spectrum when we think of what a Hutson deal could look like. Habs fans may not want to hear this, but he has all the leverage in contract negotiations right now. He just finished top 10 in Norris voting, won the Calder Trophy, and marked his name in NHL record books. After doing all that in only his first season, who knows what the rest of his career will bring. Hutson is arguably the team’s most valuable asset. If he chooses to play hardball, whatever dollar value he commands, Montreal will ultimately have to give him on max term. When we look at Rasmus Dahlin’s deal, it seems like a good ceiling for what we can expect for Lane Hutson’s next contract.
Main Photo Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images
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