Hughes and Canadiens May Have Pulled Off the Biggest Draft Steal in NHL History, Says Analyst
When the Canadiens traded Brett Kulak to the Oilers on March 21, 2022, no one suspected that Kent Hughes had just pulled off a true masterstroke.
In return, the Canadiens organization acquired defenseman William Lagesson and a second-round pick in the 2022 draft.
With that 62nd overall pick, Kent Hughes selected a small American defenseman named Lane Hutson, who is in the process of rewriting the Canadiens' history book when it comes to rookie defensemen.
Lane Hutson, the biggest steal in NHL Draft history?
This led Anthony Marcotte to recently claim that the 20-year-old defenseman could turn out to be the biggest steal in NHL Draft history.
- Anthony Marcotte
Marcotte even suggests that Hutson could have a career comparable to the greatest offensive defensemen of his generation and might one day be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Of course, it's still far too early to make such a claim, but the one who describes the Laval Rocket games on BPM Sports stated that the small American defenseman doesn't shy away from anything, and he handles every challenge thrown at him brilliantly.
Let's just say Anthony Marcotte's words are music to the ears of Montreal Canadiens fans.
In 43 games this season, he has collected 35 points so far, and he is at the top of the NHL rookie scoring leaderboard.
If he stays injury-free and continues on this path, he will surely be one of the three candidates for the Calder Trophy, awarded to the best rookie in the NHL during the regular season.
And if Lane Hutson were to win this honor, he would be the first Canadiens player to achieve this feat since Ken Dryden in 1972.
| POLL | ||
JANVIER 15 | 2494 ANSWERS Hughes and Canadiens May Have Pulled Off the Biggest Draft Steal in NHL History, Says Analyst Will Lane Hutson manage to get his hands on the Calder Trophy in 2024-2025? | ||
| Yes | 2214 | 88.8 % |
| No | 280 | 11.2 % |
| List of polls | ||
![Feb 12, 2025; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; [Imagn Images direct customers only] Team Canada forward Connor McDavid (97) looks on against Team Sweden in the second period during a 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey game at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images](https://i.marqueur.com/habsetlnh/medium/531375.webp "Feb 12, 2025; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; [Imagn Images direct customers only] Team Canada forward Connor McDavid (97) looks on against Team Sweden in the second period during a 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey game at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images")
