Player Discussion Lane Hutson Part 2

[HuGort]

I just watch the game. Very good 1st game from him! His transition game is top notch. Great skater. He is a very smart offensive D.

With a good development, I think he can be alright on defensive zone. He need to get bigger and everything will be fine.

He have very high potential and I really like what I see tonight!

Hutson certainly is quick. Has good vision and creates offense. I can't wait for camp next fall. Should be good season. Team takes big step forward

 

[Runner77]

If his skills are so rare, and given the Habs had no one like him and how all contending teams have one of his ilk, why did the Habs not select him earlier than 62nd? All these superlatives and they play with fire for no apparent reason.

 

[yianik]

If his skills are so rare, and given the Habs had no one like him and how all contending teams have one of his ilk, why did the Habs not select him earlier than 62nd? All these superlatives and they play with fire for no apparent reason.

They didn't include the bit where they say " though the chances of this player achieving this high ceiling is very very low ".

 

[Egresch]

First rounder for sure. Maybe top ten.


and by the time everything is said and done there’s a possibility that we got the two best players in that draft.

Slaf sure, but there is like 0,1% chance that Hutson becomes a better player than Simon Nemec.

 

[Egresch]

Alright not bad but I have to bring up this point; he is not expected to be a first pairing D. Look at how we drafted, we draft big mobile guys with an edge. We picked a D 5th overall last season. We have a plethora of guys coming up. Lane Hutson is not a big investment of an asset that must be a top tier player. He’s an almost extra third round pick we bought a lottery ticket with and we fell ass backwards in a dominating point producer in the NCAA.

Look, the expectation is not a horse that can play all situations and all 27 minutes like Shea Weber could. It’s to be a dynamite PP point man and a puck moving D out of a second or third pair. We have other horses for our first pairing and minute crunchers. It will allow to be who he is without the added role of being a rock. It’s a total win win situation for the player and the team.

I agree, right now Lane projects as 6/7th D and PP specialist and that is totally fine. If he can significantly improve his strength in next years, he might eat more 5v5 minutes.
It is not about size, it is about strength. Spurgeon (Wild captain) is also small, but he can handle all situations because he is strong.

 

[Walksss]

I agree, right now Lane projects as 6/7th D and PP specialist and that is totally fine. If he can significantly improve his strength in next years, he might eat more 5v5 minutes.
It is not about size, it is about strength. Spurgeon (Wild captain) is also small, but he can handle all situations because he is strong.

I guess you missed the game last night? He sure didn't look like a 6/7 D to me. I'm really not sure how you can be throwing any labels on a player after 1 game, especially when the debut was so good.

 

[Kimota]

I agree, right now Lane projects as 6/7th D and PP specialist and that is totally fine. If he can significantly improve his strength in next years, he might eat more 5v5 minutes.
It is not about size, it is about strength. Spurgeon (Wild captain) is also small, but he can handle all situations because he is strong.

You think he's gonna be a 6th/7th D?

 

[dcyhabs]

I guess you missed the game last night? He sure didn't look like a 6/7 D to me. I'm really not sure how you can be throwing any labels on a player after 1 game, especially when the debut was so good.

He looked better on offence but he didn’t look like a player you want playing a lot of minutes in a tight playoff game.

 

[Egresch]

I guess you missed the game last night? He sure didn't look like a 6/7 D to me. I'm really not sure how you can be throwing any labels on a player after 1 game, especially when the debut was so good.

You think he's gonna be a 6th/7th D?

He was amazing last night and could have three more points. I love the offensive spark that he brings, no need to trade for Zegras if we already have elite offensive talent (surprisingly coming from blueline). But he was also protected by Savard obviously and still happened that he got lost in his zone for DET first goal. For me, top 4 D is someone who can be reliable in all situations and can handle himself, does not need to be covered by his partner. I still do not see that in Lane.
I see him as an ace in MSLs hands and he might be used in specific game situations. When there is faceoff in Ozone, he will obviously be there.

 

[Habsfan18]

With Lane, it’s obviously a high risk and high reward player. You’ll always have to take the good with the bad in stride. Defensively, this is never going to be a player we’ll have a lot of confidence in to defend his zone in important games and moments. But with the puck on his stick and instinctively, this is a special player. You can see it clear as day. There will be wow moments, but it will come with a flip side as well.

 

[Zilo44]

With Lane, it’s obviously a high risk and high reward player. You’ll always have to take the good with the bad in stride. Defensively, this is never going to be a player we’ll have a lot of confidence in to defend his zone in important games and moments. But with the puck on his stick and instinctively, this is a special player. You can see it clear as day. There will be wow moments, but it will come with a flip side as well.

That’s where Reinbacher comes into play

 

[MTL Dirty Birdy]

I would assume he broke the record for the NHL's lightest defensemen ever. 162 lbs is insane for a defensemen. Though I have no clue if there's been any D that light, it just seems he would be the lightest ever.

There haven’t been many. Currently there’s only Jarred Spurgeon who is about that size

 

[MTL Dirty Birdy]

Yes but do you really want to build a defensive group with such a small D in it? The hockey sense is super elite, but still, he is limited physically and was protected tonight, and opposing teams will adjust to him and he will become a target. That's the hockey mentality even in this modern era. Yes he he was not bad, but we are far away from being able to project him as a complete first pairing D. To me there is not much new to take away from this first game. We all knew he was gifted offensively, very intelligent on the ice, but with huge physical limitations to play in his zone.

Any time we define a player as having ELITE skills, we have to stop the size argument. Elite doesn’t come around often, and in this market we are starved for elite talent. The kid has pros to train him now. Take him as he is. He’s going to get people out of their seats.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Slaf sure, but there is like 0,1% chance that Hutson becomes a better player than Simon Nemec.

Let’s give it some time. I’m not sitting here saying he’ll be better than anyone. But the odds of him being the second best player in this draft are better than .01 percent.

Right now I think he might crack the top ten in a redraft though.

 

[Rapala]

Yet, the year we went to the finals, at least in the playoffs, we had great transition off the rush. No man-to-man. Marty needs to revisit this crap for next season.

The entire "positionless hockey" concept was always going to present problems for our group as we have very few players who actually have the smarts to play it. It boggles my mind how our Dmen are constantly ending upon their weak sides when they aren't very good at it. Far too easy for legal picks and we've all seen time and time again what happens when one player loses his man. I'd like to see our energy expended in a more traditional defensive posture. I'm fairly certain we can cut down on the amount of time we spend zoned which logically leaves more energy to go the other way.

 

[Rapala]

He was amazing last night and could have three more points. I love the offensive spark that he brings, no need to trade for Zegras if we already have elite offensive talent (surprisingly coming from blueline). But he was also protected by Savard obviously and still happened that he got lost in his zone for DET first goal. For me, top 4 D is someone who can be reliable in all situations and can handle himself, does not need to be covered by his partner. I still do not see that in Lane.
I see him as an ace in MSLs hands and he might be used in specific game situations. When there is faceoff in Ozone, he will obviously be there.

Patrick Kane was leading him on like the Pied Piper. He knew we were in man to man and he actually left the zone.
It's hard to blame Lane for the trying defensive concept we've put in place. I haven't heard from any analysts who like it.

 

[Jaynki]

My exact reaction when i think about the fact we drafted Hutson with the pick we acquired for Kulak

 

[MolleSon]

They didn't include the bit where they say " though the chances of this player achieving this high ceiling is very very low ".

At least, there’s a chance he does.

 

[WeThreeKings]

That was a pretty great debut for Hutson and obviously there were highs and lows, but this was not a kid who was afraid of the moment and he played his game, albeit a bit more tempered.

Let's see how he does tonight but this kid could legitimately just be one of those special ones.

 

[BaseballCoach]

That was a pretty great debut for Hutson and obviously there were highs and lows, but this was not a kid who was afraid of the moment and he played his game, albeit a bit more tempered.

Let's see how he does tonight but this kid could legitimately just be one of those special ones.

Have we been told if he plays tonight? Do they sit Harris and Kovacecic and let Struble back in?

 

[Rapala]

I'd try him on PP1 with Matheson as a roamer.
Newhook can work PP2.

 

[bud12]

He was amazing last night and could have three more points. I love the offensive spark that he brings, no need to trade for Zegras if we already have elite offensive talent (surprisingly coming from blueline). But he was also protected by Savard obviously and still happened that he got lost in his zone for DET first goal. For me, top 4 D is someone who can be reliable in all situations and can handle himself, does not need to be covered by his partner. I still do not see that in Lane.
I see him as an ace in MSLs hands and he might be used in specific game situations. When there is faceoff in Ozone, he will obviously be there.

Relax, it was his first game. Hell even the best of the best got lost in dzone from time to time. He will be fine in the dzone just because of his zone exit. He don't seem to panic even when te pressure is on witch will help him a lot

 

[McGuires Corndog]

That was a pretty great debut for Hutson and obviously there were highs and lows, but this was not a kid who was afraid of the moment and he played his game, albeit a bit more tempered.

Let's see how he does tonight but this kid could legitimately just be one of those special ones.

Most impressive thing for me was his compete. Was not remotely scared to engage

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

If his skills are so rare, and given the Habs had no one like him and how all contending teams have one of his ilk, why did the Habs not select him earlier than 62nd? All these superlatives and they play with fire for no apparent reason.

Because he was 5’7, 149 lbs at the time. If they’d drafted him earlier we’d have missed out on Beck and Mesar.

 

[HomaridII]

Have we been told if he plays tonight? Do they sit Harris and Kovacecic and let Struble back in?

he is playing tonight. His boston U teammates are coming to Montreal to watch him play. Reports say most if not all the Boston U team will be there tonight.