Lane Hutson is Already a Top 5 NHL Defenceman

Despite his small stature, Lane Hutson has dominated at nearly every level he's played, and the NHL has become his new playground at the age of only 22 years old. Even after beating out Macklin Celebrini for the Calder Trophy in his rookie year, many doubted that he would continue to dominate...well, they were wrong.

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Among the League's best - Smashing Narratives

In his sophomore season, Lane has amassed 69 points in 67 games, putting him tied for 2nd in points amongst defencemen. He also ranks first in the NHL in even-strength points amongst defencemen, with 50. Not too shabby for the "power play and secondary assist merchant" who, by the way, is first in the NHL in primary assists amongst defencemen as well.

Another popular criticism of Hutson is: "But he can't play defence." Well, he's rewriting that narrative as well, skyrocketing his defensive metrics to 75% EV defence (See red line at the bottom right of the chart below) from the sub 10% rating he had early in his rookie year.

As we all know, these metrics don't always tell the full story; however, the eye test supports Hutson just as much, if not more. Lane's nonstop motor not only aids him in dominating the o-zone but also helps him smother larger opponents defensively. What he lacks in size, he makes up for in effort.

Breaking Records

In his last season, he tied the record for rookie assists with 60, a record that stood for 45 years. He also recently set the record for most assists through a player's first 150 games, with 116 assists. These are only a few of the records Lane's broken so far, and he's still on pace to break more as the Habs' roster continues to grow and improve.

Rival fans will continue to doubt and criticize Lane Hutson due to sheer jealousy, but to those watching closely, it is clear to see that he is emerging as a top-5 defenceman in the NHL, and he's just getting started.