One of the biggest talking points regarding the Montreal Canadiens centers around their young franchise defenseman Lane Hutson. The 21 year old enters this season in the last year of his ELC (entry level contract) and will be in need of a new deal soon.
The good news for Montreal Canadiens fans is it sounds like that new deal is arriving soon in Quebec. Via insider Marco D’Amico, there has been a significant breakthrough in negotiations between Lane Huston and the Canadiens. It sounds like a new deal will be officially agreed upon in the next 24 hours.
This is a positive development for the Canadiens as they near locking up their defensive star of the future for the long term in Montreal in what is expected to be yet another lucrative contract for a defenseman.
What is the Hutson contract expected to look like?
According to D’Amico, the contract is expected to come in at 8 years at an estimated seasonal value of $9.5 million. This is a slight increase over some of the comparable $9 million contracts handed out to younger defenseman in a similar position to Lane Huston such as Luke Hughes and Jackson LaCombe.
Hutson’s contract will approach the value of the Canadiens big offseason addition on defense in Noah Dobson who makes $9.5 million per year on his deal. It is unclear at this time whether Hutson’s deal will be more, less or the same in value.
The 2025 Calder winner will be counted on to play an integral role in helping the Habs rise back to the top of the NHL. The 24 time Stanley Cup Champions have not gone all the way since 1993.
