On the August 22nd edition of the Bleacher Report podcast, NHL Insider Frank Seravalli touched on a possible extension for Montreal Canadiens blueliner Lane Hutson. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like a lot of progress has been made.
Seravalli doesn’t think there’s been a lot of movement on that front; he believes they had initial talks and are still looking at that. He thinks the ballpark for a Hutson deal should be around the same amount as what Brock Faber got from the Minnesota Wild—the 23-year-old put pen to paper on an eight-year pact with an $8.5 million AAV.
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The insider also wonders if Hutson might prefer a short-term deal to capitalize on the rising salary cap in a couple of years, but he adds that if Hutson signs a long-term contract, it will be on the Canadiens’ terms.
While Seravalli is not wrong that Faber could serve as a worthy comparable for Hutson, I would be shocked if the Canadiens’ rearguard didn’t manage to get a higher cap hit. The Wild signed that deal over a year ago, and the cap has already risen since then. Furthermore, everyone knows that it will rise again shortly, and considering the Canadiens just acquired Noah Dobson, who will be paid $9.5 million AAV, I think the Hutson price tag may be closer to that.
If Kent Hughes were to manage to ink Hutson long-term for $8.5 million per year, I think it would be another big win for the Canadiens’ brass. I’m not saying it’s impossible, but if it happens, it will be because Hughes was able to sell him on the idea that the Canadiens want to become perennial contenders. They will need cap space to bring in new players when the older ones, such as Brendan Gallagher, move on.
Again, there’s no rush to sign Hutson; his contract isn’t even up yet, but it’s evident that Montreal wants to keep him long-term, and locking him up as soon as possible makes complete sense.
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