Canadiens reward star defenceman Lane Hutson with US$70.8 million, eight-year deal

Montreal Canadiens' Lane Hutson (48) and Juraj Slafkovsky (20) work for the puck as Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Anthony Stolarz (41) and Jake McCabe (22) look on during second period NHL hockey action in Toronto on Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press)

The Montreal Canadiens have rewarded star defenceman Lane Hutson, last season’s NHL rookie of the year, with a new US$70.8 million, eight-year contract.

The deal, which runs from 2026-27 to 2033-34, will pay the 21-year-old Hutson an average annual salary of US$8.85 million. The Michigan-born blueliner is earning US$950,000 this season.

Hutson scored six goals and added 60 assists in 82 games with the Habs as a rookie last season. He led Montreal in assists and topped all NHL rookies in points, assists, power-play points (26) and average ice time (22:44).

Hutson’s 66 points set a points record by a Canadiens rookie defenceman, while his 60 assists tied the league mark for assists by a rookie blueliner, set by Larry Murphy in 1980-81.

Hutson became the seventh player in Canadiens history and the first since Ken Dryden in 1971-72 to win the Calder Memorial Trophy, awarded annually “to the player selected as the most proficient in his first year of competition.”

Montreal selected Hutson in the second round (62nd overall) of the 2022 NHL draft.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 13, 2025.