Lane Hutson’s rise is no longer just a Canadiens storyline. It’s turning into a league-wide one.
After winning the Calder Memorial Trophy and then taking another big step in his second NHL season, Hutson has pushed himself into the upper tier of defensemen. His numbers tell the story: career highs in goals with 12, assists with 66, and points with 78. That kind of production is hard to ignore, and NHL Network didn’t.
In its recent Top 20 defensemen rankings, NHL Network slotted Hutson sixth in the NHL, a huge leap from 19th last summer. He landed behind Cale Makar, Quinn Hughes, Zach Werenski, Rasmus Dahlin, and Miro Heiskanen, but he finished ahead of several well-known names, including Matthew Schaefer at seventh, Moritz Seider at ninth, and Charlie McAvoy at 11th.
That climb matters because the group ahead of him is packed with Norris Trophy winners. Werenski won last season, Makar has taken it twice in 2022 and 2025, and Hughes won it in 2024.
Hutson, meanwhile, has already started to collect recognition in the voting. He received some Norris votes in each of the last two seasons, finishing ninth in 2025 and sixth this past season.
Even so, the latest ranking suggests he’s moved beyond being an intriguing young name. He’s in the conversation now. If he backs up last season with another strong year, there’s a real path to a Top 3 Norris finish - and maybe more.
If Hutson were to win it, he’d become the first Canadiens player to take home the league’s top defenseman honor since 2013, when P.K. Subban did it.
That would also give Montreal its 12th Norris Trophy winner overall, second most among NHL franchises. Boston still leads with 14, but Hutson could help trim that gap.
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Canadiens Face A Big Bolduc Decision Next To Suzuki And Caufield
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Still, Bolducs playoff play gave the Canadiens something to think about going into next season, especially with the possibility of him being asked to skate in a far more prominent spot alongside Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield. For a team looking to sort out the best version of its top end, his progress in the spring matters almost as much as the uneven regular season that came before it. [Read more 🡒]
Kent Hughes May Be Ending The Canadiens Quiet Summer Soon
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The exact nature of the news remains unclear, with no confirmations yet from the club. Still, sources indicate something could break early in the week, giving Canadiens fans a fresh point of attention before the calendar turns fully toward the next phase of team business. [Read more 🡒]