Canadiens' Lane Hutson’s NHL Path: Improving Without Losing Himself
After Chris Pronger commented on Lane Hutson’s skating — hinting that it was “frantic” — I was prompted to consider the argument. For a Hall of Fame defenseman built like a freight train, a smaller player moving differently always stands out. Pronger is 6-foot-6 and 220 pounds; Hutson is 5-foot-9 and around 162. Naturally, the eye sees differences.
But the underlying question is far more interesting: what got Hutson to this point, and what will keep him effective at the NHL level?
Hutson Is Hutson: Which Means He’s Not a Pronger Clone
Hutson’s stride isn’t smooth in a textbook sense. That much is true. It’s complex, full of subtle deception: hands, feet, head, hips, and shoulders all working in a controlled but busy rhythm. To some, it looks chaotic — frantic, even. But a closer look shows it’s deliberate. Frantic isn’t wild or uncontrolled; it’s expressive, a high-speed toolkit that Hutson has honed to create space, manipulate defenders, and generate offense.
Some suggest undersized defensemen entering the NHL need to “adjust” their style, to emulate a Paul Coffey or a textbook skating model. History tells a different story. Look at the top 25 rookie scoring defensemen ever. Among the smallest — Quinn Hughes, Cale Makar (more average than small), Phil Housley — none radically changed their game; they honed it. They improved without becoming someone else. That’s the Hutson recipe.
What Does Improvement Look Like for Hutson?
What does improvement look like for him? Incremental adjustments — increasing foot speed slightly, refining balance, strengthening lower-body power — while staying true to the instincts that make him effective. Connor Bedard, for example, gained a tangible boost in productivity by getting faster; it didn’t change who he was, it amplified it. Hutson can do the same. The goal isn’t a mirror image of another star but a stronger, sharper version of himself.
At its core, Hutson’s challenge is universal: elite talent requires refinement. But refinement doesn’t mean conformity. He’s not Paul Coffey. He’s not even another Quinn Hughes. He’s Lane Hutson — and his path to NHL success is about improving the details, protecting his strengths, and staying himself while pushing limits.
The Bottom Line for Hutson’s Success
Hutson’s controlled chaos — the “frantic” movements that draw commentary — may always stand out. That’s okay. If he continues to grow in measured ways, that energy becomes an asset, not a flaw. For smaller defensemen, the lesson is clear: evolution, not imitation, is the key to sustained impact.