A Name You'll Want to Know: The Next Quinn Hughes?

The 5'8» defenceman took the initiative to speak with physicians pre-draft at his own discretion; he ensured NHL GM's that he still has room to continue growing physically.

Lane Hutson spoke with his family physician ahead of the NHL Draft, he was told due to a rare developmental condition - Hutson could potentially grow to 5'10» or taller. While the position (defence) is generally reserved for behemoth-sized players; the modern era has watched undersized defenceman thrive in the NHL - utilizing their vision, IQ, edges and deceptive skating to skate their way out of potential threatening situations.

During the 2021-22 season there were defenceman who were 5'11» or shorter with regular roles on their respective teams. The two most recent Norris Trophy winners were Adam Fox (5'10») in 2021 and Cale Makar (5'11») in 2022. Based on consensus rankings throughout NHL insider's rankings, these are the names of the games best undersized defenceman:

1. Cale Makar - 5'11» - Colorado Avalanche

2. Adam Fox - 5'10» - New York Rangers

3. Quinn Hughes - 5'10» - Vancouver Canucks

4. Jared Spurgeon - 5'10» - Minnesota Wild Captain

5. Duncan Keith - 5'10» - Edmonton Oilers (retired)

6. Samuel Girard - 5'10» - Colorado Avalanche

7. Torrey Krug - 5'9» - St. Louis Blues

8. Ryan Ellis - 5'10» - Philadelphia Flyers

9. Scott Perunovich - 5'10» - St. Louis Blues

10. Cam York - 5'10» - Philadelphia Flyers

Cue the 'next one' comments about Montreal's 62 overall pick at the NHL Draft in July. Like Quinn Hughes - Lane Hutson is an undersized (5'8» and 165 lbs.) defenceman out of the USNTDP. Hutson skates beautifully, his edgework is phenomenal as he uses it to shift his body fluidly to evade defenders with a quick toe drag or spin-O-rama, explosive skating dynamics allow for Hutson to get into high danger offensive position, where his offensive mind goes to work using a quick, heavy and accurate shot to beat goaltenders.

For much of the 2000s the Montreal Canadiens were known for big, rugged defenceman like Souray, Komisarek, Dandenault and Jaroslav Spacek to name a few. Whereas the forwards were typically smaller - Cammalleri (5'9») , Gionta (5'7»), Paul Byron (5'9») and Saku Koivu (5'11») among others. Smaller defenceman were viewed as a detriment to the team, so they were often passed over and left to play in the minor leagues.

Hutson, however, much like Quinn Hughes - thrived at the USNTDP, posting goals, assists and points in games. Hutson's coaches described him as a cerebral player, who's hands and feet are always moving. With a mind that puts a nice bow on his game, he creates chances seemingly out of nowhere, with beautiful tape-to-tape passes, or quick snap or slapshots towards the net, depending on the situation. Hutson plays in all situations and welcomes competition, and one-on-one battles - which his compete level and IQ allow for him to win battles, despite his diminuitive frame.

I do this a lot, and opinion is generally not warranted in articles, but I wanted to paint a picture of the Canadiens potential future blueline. There's a mix of youth, veteran leadership and size (mostly big, but some smaller defenceman) Here is a potential blueline for the 2023-24 NHL regular season:

Montreal Canadiens potential top-six defenceman -

Defensive pair 1 - Kaiden Guhle - Justin Barron

Defensive pair 2 - Jordan Harris - Logan Mailloux

Defensive pair 3 - Lane Hutson - David Savard

I believe that possibly Hutson plays higher on the blueline, however, he will be playing NCAA, and his development curve will determine where he lines up. If all of Hutson's tangibles can blend well with Hutson's brain, hands and skating he very-well could play a top four role (or higher) chipping in on the powerplay, and during three-on-three overtime. With time to grow, add muscle and compete against older competition in the NCAA - Be sure to watch with a keen eye, and listen closely as Hutson could come to be a draft day dropper, that achieves great things with the Canadiens at the NHL level.

Also to note, David Savard might be gone - the opportunity and odds to sign a free agent are quite high. Don't shoot the messenger, this is just a pre-training camp mock up, and fun to start thinking ahead to the future of the Habs defence. Tune-in to Canadiens training camp for updates and news.