Kent Hughes pulled the steal of the 2022 draft and the Canadiens are reaping the rewards
Photo credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images
Journalist Stu Cowan recently revisited one of the earliest draft decisions made by Montreal Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes.
Quietly, Lane Hutson was only the fourth player selected by Hughes at the 2022 NHL Draft, following Juraj Slafkovský (1), Filip Mesar (26), and Owen Beck (33).
With that pick, Hughes put his foot down and took a chance on Hutson, selecting him 62nd overall in 2022.
Today, that decision is already paying off, as Lane Hutson has become a major name in Montreal.
When Kent Hughes drafted him in the second round, many saw it as a risky gamble.
Hughes himself has admitted that even he couldn't have predicted how quickly Hutson would adjust to the NHL.
"It's really hard to know," Hughes said about predicting how quickly young talent will adjust to the NHL.
"I watched a lot of Lane Hutson. He played with my son, and I watched him all the way up. I didn't know when we signed him out of college - I'd like to say I knew - but I didn't know he was going to be that good, that fast."
- Hughes on Hutson
"I watched a lot of Lane Hutson. He played with my son, and I watched him all the way up. I didn't know when we signed him out of college - I'd like to say I knew - but I didn't know he was going to be that good, that fast."
- Hughes on Hutson
Today, it looks much more like a massive draft steal that arrived at exactly the right time for the Montreal Canadiens.
Kent Hughes' biggest home run was only his fourth draft pick in 2022
Even before arriving full-time, Hutson had already piled up eye-catching numbers. In 2023-2024 at Boston University, he recorded 49 points in 38 games.
The Canadiens then signed him, and very quickly it became clear that he would take up a lot of space in the team's narrative.
In Montreal, when a defenseman produces like that, you quickly go from prospect to a player everyone is watching.
In 2024-2025, his rookie season was absolutely massive. He played all 82 games, finishing with 66 total points.
He scored six goals, added 60 assists, and finished with 34 penalty minutes, but most importantly, he won the Calder Trophy.
This season, he currently has 52 points in 51 games.
What makes the story even more compelling is the internal comparison.
The Canadiens' record for points in a single season by a defenseman belongs to Larry Robinson.
In 1976-1977, Robinson produced 85 points, with 19 goals and 66 assists. Those are historic numbers that still carry significant weight in the club's memory.
Hutson doesn't need to break that record tomorrow morning for the value of the pick to be obvious.
Drafting a defenseman 62nd overall and then watching him win the Calder in his first true full season is exactly the kind of story Montreal loves to tell for a long time.
In the end, it brings things back to a simple idea. Great teams find important pieces all over the draft.
And in the case of Lane Hutson, the Canadiens clearly found a piece that changes an organization.
What a story, and what an acquisition!
Also read on Montreal Hockey Fanatics :
'He's a clone of Ivan Demidov': Hughes might have hit another potential home run for the Canadiens
'He's a clone of Ivan Demidov': Hughes might have hit another potential home run for the Canadiens
| POLL | ||
JANVIER 24|1737 ANSWERS Kent Hughes pulled the steal of the 2022 draft and the Canadiens are reaping the rewards Is Lane Hutson the biggest draft steal of the last 10 years? | ||
| Yes | 1653 | 95.2 % |
| No, explain in the comments | 84 | 4.8 % |
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