Elliotte Friedman Drops Major Hint on Lane Hutson's Next Contract with Canadiens

These are obviously two major defensemen for the future of the club.

According to Friedman's information, if Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton want to sign young Hutson to a long-term contract, the price will likely be the one paid to sign Dobson.

There are two interesting elements here.

First, it's definitely interesting to learn that Lane Hutson is likely to sign a contract similar to Dobson's, especially since it confirms the rumor that's been circulating for a few weeks already.. But that's not all!

Secondly, the other interesting element here is the way Friedman phrased his statement.

He clearly mentioned that Lane Hutson's annual salary is likely to "get closer" to Noah Dobson's, starting from Nick Suzuki's.

This seems to indicate that the young Hutson's annual salary will be slightly lower than Dobson's.

We love it!

So my prediction would be an 8-year contract, with an annual salary of $9.25 million for Hutson, which would be a solid deal under the circumstances!

Lane Hutson, aged 21, is a 5-foot-9, 162-pound left-handed defenseman who was selected 62nd overall by the Montreal Canadiens in 2022.

He recorded 66 points in 82 games last season, in addition to adding 5 points in 5 NHL playoff games.