Lane Hutson may play only two games with the Canadiens this season

Lane Hutson is a polarizing prospect in Montreal, and we’re all looking forward to seeing him play for the big club.

It’ll happen at the end of the season, in fact. But the real question is: when? When exactly will the defender join the Montreal ranks?

Marco D’Amico answers that question in this article published on MHN.

All signs point to Lane Hutson joining the #GoHabsGo before the end of the season, but the timing is still yet to be determined.

Here’s a full breakdown:https://t.co/ffPGB2UMZU

– Marco D’Amico (@mndamico) March 1, 2024

Firstly, he hasn’t closed the door on the idea of seeing him in Laval, but the chances are almost zero.

Why is that? Because for a player to participate in the end of the regular season and/or the playoffs with an AHL team, he would have to sign a contract before March 8. And that’s not going to happen.

The other option: Laval signs him to a professional tryout. That’s not going to happen either. In recent years, Jayden Struble and Lucas Condotta signed PTOs before signing their entry-level contracts, but Hutson’s case is different because of his exceptional talent.

The young left-hander is 99.99% committed to Montreal. You can add more “nines” after the decimal point if you like.

As D’Amico mentions in his text, there are two possibilities. The first: if Boston University loses one of its two games at The Regionals (March 28-30), Hutson’s NCAA season would come to an end. He could then sign with the Habs and play in the club’s final nine regular-season games, from April 2 to 16.

He would face these teams:

Panthers (April 2)
Lightning (April 4)
Maple Leafs (April 6)
Rangers (April 7)
Flyers (April 9)
Islanders (April 11)
Senators (April 13)
Red Wings x2 (April 15 and 16)

Good luck to him, who would be playing against several good offenses.

The second possibility: if BU wins its two regional games, the club would participate in the Frozen Four (for a second consecutive season). If so, he and his team would play a one-off match (April 11) and the final (if they win) on the 13th. If Hutson and his troupe make it that far, we could see him in Montreal no earlier than April 15, in time for the final two games of the season against Detroit.

So, do we wish him a championship and two games in Montreal, or no championship and a minimum of three games (potentially nine) in Montreal?

In addition to the left-hander, David Reinbacher and Adam Engstrom, too, could/should be playing in Quebec by the end of the 2023-2024 season.