There was a lot of hoopla surrounding Monday night’s match between the Montreal Canadiens and Detroit Red Wings. On Detroit’s side, it had everything to do with their push for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. For Montreal, it marked the debut of the 2022 second-round draft pick and defenceman Lane Hutson. Lo and behold, the young gun earned his first NHL point on his second shift via an assist on Brendan Gallagher’s goal.
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He made his presence known in the first period on Monday. A brisk skate to the right side of the rink in the offensive zone allowed him to pass the puck into the crease where, after some bouncing around, Gallagher slotted the biscuit home. The goal opened the scoring and added pressure on the Red Wings, who needed two points badly. Time will tell just how good Hutson can be at the professional level, but this was a sensational way to debut, especially for a struggling franchise.
It’s moments like these that can get a fanbase invested in late-season contests despite that their favourite club is already eliminated from postseason contention. It’s a fantastic time of year for sides like the Canadiens to start prepping for their future. Enter Hutson, who just completed a fantastic season playing for Boston University in the NCAA (15 goals and 34 assists in 38 games) and won a gold medal with Team USA at the latest World Juniors.