Lane Hutson Burgeoning Star Watch
- Thread starter Pavel Buchnevich
- Start date
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Thre's going to be a lot of chat and opinions about this player, the truth is that he's taking over the NHL.
JianYang
Registered User
- Sep 29, 2017
- 19,222
- 18,385
His agility and edgework appear to be top notch, and his hands are able to keep up with it.
I have seen some people question his straight line speed though.
- Apr 27, 2005
- 34,980
- 33,174
- Apr 27, 2005
- 34,980
- 33,174
His straight line speed isn't too much of a problem, and he'll naturally get faster as he matures.
His biggest issue is really his backwards skating and transitions from forwards to backwards. While it's definitely something that is fixable, it's been a pretty big weakness of his that has been exploited by bigger, faster forwards. So unlike most smaller dmen (who are great transition skaters, and excellent at defending laterally), Hutson can be prone to getting beaten to the outside in 1v1 situations and has a hard time keeping tight gaps at the blue line.
Aside from that, his defensive shortcomings aren't anything you don't see from most younger, smaller dmen (weaker on the puck in the corners, struggling to box out around the net etc). And he's already pretty elite at evading pressure on the forecheck to allow for clean break outs.
I don't suspect he'll ever be even average defensively, but so long as he can get the to 20th to 30th percentile there, he'll be a star. He's such a talented puck mover and blue line walker that he'll more than make up for his defensive weaknesses.
He's the kind of dynamic talent who you just live / mitigate with his defensive deficiencies because the upside is so incredible. He's the type of defenseman that makes everyone on the dangerous. He'll be a high event player, but just pair him with a steady stay at home top 4 RD and give him favorable deployments and you're golden.
All that said, I do think he's at risk of getting a bit more exposed when the Habs start making the playoffs, especially in heavy, tight checking playoff series. So that's just something the Habs will have to keep in mind - he may need some extra sheltering at 5v5 in those situations.
