The Montreal Canadiens have secured another part of the future of the franchise. The Canadiens and Lane Hutson have agreed to an eight-year $70.8 million extension for the young blue-liner. This is a deal that will be solid for both sides in the long term.
Hutson was the No. 62 overall pick of the Canadiens in the 2022 NHL Draft. The second-round pick then spent two seasons with Boston University. He showed not only amazing defensive skill but also great offensive prowess. In his two years with Boston University, he played in 77 games, scoring 97 points. After his second college season ended, he joined Montreal for two games. In those two games, he added two assists.
In his rookie campaign of 2024-25, the American found the back of the net six times while adding 60 helpers. He also had five assists in five games in the playoffs. His performance earned Hutson the Calder Trophy as the Rookie of the Year.
“Nice to get a good bit of business done,” Hutson told the media after getting this deal done, according to the NHL. “For me, it's back to work and building my game. I think it's good for both sides. I'm just happy to be here for a long time.”
He is right. Both sides should be happy with this deal that keeps Hutson in Montreal through the 2033-34 season.
Lane Hutson's contract grade
Hutson got a solid deal from the Canadiens in this one. He is finishing his three-year entry-level contract that was paying him an AAV of $1.33 million. The blue-liner was scheduled to be a restricted free agent next summer. Instead, he will be getting $8.85 million per season in AAV for the next eight years when the contract kicks in for the 2026-27 season.
On the positive side, this makes him the 17th-highest-played defender in the NHL next season, and the second-highest blue-liner on the team in 2026-27. He is scheduled to make more than players such as Brock Faber and Moritz Seider.
It is also a massive contract for someone of his age. He is currently just 21 years old and will be 22 years old when the contract begins. The only comparable contract for someone at that age is when Connor McDavid signed his first extension. He got $12.5 million AAV for an eight-year deal, but comparing anyone to McDavid is not quite fair. Still, this is one of the largest contract extensions ever for someone at the age of 21 years old.
He will also be in line for another contract in his career. The former second-round pick will be just 30 years old when this contract ends, setting him up for another major payday in his career. While he will get another payday, he may have left money on the table. Luke Hughes and Jackson LaCombe just signed new contracts. Both of them will be earning $9 million per season, just slightly higher than Hutson.
Both Hughes and LaCombe have two years of track record to bank on to get their deals. Hutson could have gambled on himself and negotiated a new contract next summer, likely earning more. He could have also signed a short-term deal and likely made more. Overall, this is a solid deal with a team that should be competing for a Cup in the future, but still, money left on the table does hurt the grade.
Lane Hutson contract grade: B+
Montreal Canadiens contract grade
The Canadiens got a solid deal in this one. To begin with, the team got Hutson for a slightly cheaper contract than other comparable deals being signed recently. In a bigger sense, keeping this core together is the major move. On the blue line, Kaiden Guhle, Noah Dobson, and Hutson are now all under contract through at least the 2030-31 campaign. This will give the team continuity on the top two defensive rotations as well as on the special teams units.
Meanwhile, the top offensive line for the team is also under contract long term. Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, and Juraj Salfkovsky are all under contract through 2029-30, with some beyond. This gives the team its top-six young players all under contract for multiple seasons. The oldest player for the group is Suzuki, who just turned 26 years old this past summer.
Still, the team now has $23.9 million locked up in three blue-liners through the 2030-31 season. While Dobson, Guhle, and Hutson are all young, if one of them begins to decline quickly, this is a lot of money locked up for just half of the blue line. Considering that the team is spending just $29.8 million for the entire blue-line with reserves this year, it is a large number.
This is also banking on a younger player. Hutson has just one full year of NHL experience, and if his rookie season was the peak of his production, the contract won't age well. While this is unlikely, it is still a risk for the Canadiens.
The other side of the risk was waiting until next summer, and if Hutson performed even better than his rookie year, Montreal would have been on the hook for more money. The risk of signing their stud blue-liner was worth it. Now, if all the young players they have under contract perform well, Montreal could lift its first Cup since 1993.
Canadiens contract grade: A-
