There's of course Nick Suzuki and Cole Caulfield's steps forward in assuming their roles as franchise players, both leading the club with 43 and 42 points, respectively. But Hutson is running the defensive corps, averaging 22:42 per night, which gives him a serious edge on Celebrini and Michkov for the campaign's best rookie.

The pairing of Hutson and Matheson goes against hockey's convetional wisdom, but Martin St. Louis is not a conventional coach.

In addition to elite offensive flair, diminutive Canadiens rookie defenceman has shown he can more than hold his own in his own zone.

The diminutive defenseman has exceeded all pre-arrival hype and emerged as a legit contender for Calder Trophy as NHL's rookie of the year.

The Montreal Canadiens have found a gem in Lane Hutson, and locking him down as soon as possible may quickly become priority Number 1 going into the offseason.

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Corey Pronman of The Athletic recently released a list of the top under-23-year-old players, and it has set off a backlash online. His list seems to be,