Montreal Canadiens May Have Overplayed Their Hand in Lane Hutson Contract Talks
Lane Hutson reportedly wanted a big extension in Montreal this off-season, but now it's being reported that the team weren't willing to give him a certain number.
Last season was a historic one for Montreal Canadiens defenseman Lane Hutson, as he tallied a massive 60 assists en route to winning the Calder Trophy for Rookie of the Year.
Clearly, the team are full of optimism over his future, as the two sides began discussing an extension with the 21-year old this off-season, but with the season set to begin today, nothing has come to fruition.
Montreal unwilling to give Hutson a big deal
According to a report from ESPN's Emily Kaplan, Hutson was willing to take a deal that paid him less than Noah Dobson's $9.5 million AAV, but the Canadiens weren't open to doing that.
That was before both Luke Hughes and Jackson Lacombe were given 8x$9 million deals, and now, that may come back to haunt Montreal, as Hutson's asking price could be much higher moving forward after the massive rookie campaign he had.
In 2025/26 however, teams will have studied Hutson's game and seen more film on him, and that may end up stopping him being so productive again this season, but if he's just as good, his asking price will go up even more moving forward.
Ultimately, the Canadiens have a star on their hands in Hutson, and they clearly know it too, but after being unwilling to give him $9 million AAV on a long-term deal, they're likely going to have to pay him that or more if he takes another step forward this upcoming season.
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