It takes an extremely special player to be able to produce 100 points in a season at the NHL level. The feat is hard enough to achieve for forwards whose sole focus is on putting up numbers, let alone for defensemen who have to deal with both ends of the ice.
Only 15 times in NHL history has a blueliner hit the triple-digit mark, and six of those come from the legend Bobby Orr all by himself. The last time we saw it happen was in 2022-23 when Erik Karlsson notched 101 points (25 goals, 76 assists) on an awful San Jose Sharks team.
Fans tend to land on the usual suspects when looking ahead to which defenseman could next reach the milestone: Cale Makar and Quinn Hughes, who have come very close themselves in recent years.
However, according to former NHLer, now analyst, Frank Corrado, Montreal Canadiens rookie sensation Lane Hutson belongs in the conversation with those two superstars as being capable of potting 100 points from the backend. Corrado gave his take during a recent episode of OverDrive on TSN.
“There’s like three guys really. 100 points is a lot, but I wouldn’t put it past him. He just had a 66-point rookie season. He’s 5’9 on a good day. Do you know how hard it is to play in the NHL…? I think he’s just scratching the surface. 100 points is a lot for sure, but if anyone is gonna do it, it’s probably (Lane Hutson), Cale Makar, Quinn Hughes. Those are the guys that are gonna do it,” Corrado said.
The 21-year-old is coming off an incredible season where he piled up 66 points (six goals, 60 assists) in 82 games en route to winning the Calder Trophy.
Hutson could definitely hit 100 points
It might only happen once, and it’s not going to be easy, but Lane Hutson certainly can rack up 100 points in a season at some point in his career.
After a 66-point rookie campaign, how could anyone believe that triple digits aren’t at least within reach? Hutson is supremely talented and has the complete offensive arsenal. Combine that with the way scoring has gone up around the league and the dynamic young talent he’ll be playing with in Montreal for years, and it’s well within the realm of possibilities.
Cale Makar and Quinn Hughes are much more likely to do so in the near future, but in three to four years, don’t be surprised if Hutson is consistently a point-per-game defenseman with the upside for more any given season.
