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Lane Hutson was one of the great stories of the 2024-25 National Hockey League campaign — and it's no surprise that the Montreal Canadiens are looking to lock up the electric defenseman as soon as possible.
Hutson, who won the Calder Trophy as the league's top rookie, has been eligible to sign an extension since July 1, and will become a restricted free agent at the conclusion of the 2025-26 campaign.
The Habs have no desire to get anywhere close to that time without locking up the franchise cornerstone to a long-term extension. And as RG's Marco D'Amico reported earlier this week, early negotiations on a new contract between player and club have been promising.
“We’ll get this out of the way right now: sources indicate that both parties are in a very good place and feel confident a deal will eventually get done,” the hockey insider wrote. “RG Media can confirm that contract discussions are currently ongoing between both parties, but that the sweet spot in terms of AAV and term has not yet been found.”
An NHL source told D'Amico that “both parties are in a good space and there’s a good amount of mutual respect, but just very little rush from either party.”
Another mentioned that “you’ll hear a lot of noise about it until it’s signed, but there’s very little to worry about.”
Hutson has certainly earned a raise from the $950,000 he's currently making. The 21-year-old broke onto the scene and amassed 66 points in 82 games in his rookie year, helping the Canadiens advance to the postseason for the first time since 2020-21.
As a pending 10.2(c) RFA, Hutson is safe from both arbitration and potential offer sheets from opposing general managers. It's the most favorable negotiation position a team can have with a young player of high value, as D'Amico notes.
Will Canadiens' Lane Hutson get more than teammate Noah Dobson?
One of the big questions surrounding the negotiation is the blockbuster acquisition of Summerside, Prince Edward Island native Noah Dobson. Dobson was brought over from the New York Islanders and immediately signed a massive eight-year, $76 million extension.
A one-two punch of Dobson and Hutson will have Montreal's blue line in terrific shape for the long haul, especially if the latter signs a considerable deal of his own.
That being said, a source told D'Amico that hockey fans shouldn't be in a rush to compare the two.
“Dobson is at a different point in his career than Hutson, not to say one is better than the other. But, in the world of contracts, RFA years are worth substantially less than UFA years, and teams generally have to fork up more money for those years when a player could have tested free agency,” said the source.
Dobson is a bonafide star defenseman who is right-handed and was one year away from unrestricted free agency. With only “7-8 players in the NHL with a similar profile under the age of 30,” it made sense that he became the highest-paid player on the roster — outside of Carey Price.
Still, the 2025-26 season could help determine what an AAV might look like on Hutson's next contract, and it's not bold to assume it could land somewhere between the $8-10 million mark.
Hutson has made it clear he loves Montreal and has no desire to leave, and the most likely outcome is an eventual long-term contract that, like Dobson, keeps Hutson with the Canadiens for a long, long time.
