Lane Hutson's stellar rookie campaign has him next to some pretty exclusive company.
The Montreal Canadiens' first-year defenceman notched his 60th point of the year with an assist on Josh Anderson's first-period goal against the Florida Panthers on Tuesday.
With the helper, Hutson became just the 10th rookie defenceman in NHL history to reach the 60-point mark in a season. He's now tied with Hall of Famer Nicklas Lidstrom, Reed Larson and Barry Beck at 10th place for points in a season by a rookie defenceman, and with eight games remaining after Tuesday's contest, he could move past names like Chris Chelios (64) and Ray Borque (65).
Hutson collected two more assists late in the game on goals by captain Nick Suzuki. The first, with eight seconds remaining in regulation, tied the game 2-2 and the second came on the 3-2 overtime winner.
With 57 assists this season, Hutson passed Chelios for most assists by a rookie defenceman in Canadiens history.
Hutson was drafted by Montreal in the second round (62nd overall) of the 2022 NHL Draft. The 21-year-old has racked up five goals and 55 assists through 74 appearances so far throughout 2024-25. His 62 points lead all rookies in the NHL this season, four ahead of Flyers forward Matvei Michkov.
And despite it only being his first year in the league, his impact on the Canadiens has been evident. With his latest assist, the Holland, Mich. native now leads the team in assists and takeaways (96), while also being joint-first in games played. Huston also ranks third on the Habs roster for total points and blocks (109) while sitting fifth for average time on ice (22:37).
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