Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports

Tonight, Lane Hutson makes his Montreal Canadiens debut.

I know, I know…

It’s been a long time coming, and it’s finally happening today. Excitement is running high!

The little defender will be playing alongside David Savard, which is good because Martin St-Louis has paired him with a guy with a lot of experience.

Hutson has to feel good on the ice, after all.

But off the ice, the guys do everything they can to make him feel appreciated within the group.

He had dinner with five of his new teammates last night: David Savard, Mike Matheson, Samuel Montembeault, Rafaël Harvey-Pinard and Joel Armia.

As Guillaume Lefrançois noted in a recent article, Montembeault, Savard and Harvey-Pinard also went to dinner with Joshua Roy in his big-league debut.

At practice this morning, his teammates cheered for Hutson after seeing him score a goal during a drill where the guys were working on their breakaways.

They’re trying to be festive to welcome him and it’s perfect that way.

Cole Caufield also said after training that he’s looking forward to playing with him… And that the players will try everything to make him comfortable:

Tonight’s game will be special for Lane Hutson, especially as he’ll be playing in front of his parents and family in Michigan.

He’ll be stressed, that’s for sure…

But even so, seeing how well he’s been received by his teammates, and knowing that he’ll be paired with a guy like David Savard, must give him a lot of confidence.

It seems he’s already one of the boys, and that must be a special feeling too.

In a row

– Ayoye.

– Hehe.

– Hein!

– Bravo!

– That’s it!

More must-reads:

TODAY'S BEST
Xander Schauffele, Collin Morikawa lead at PGA Championship
Mystik Dan comes up short at Preakness, denied shot at Triple Crown
Seize the Grey wins in muddy Preakness
Panthers star named winner of 2024 Selke Trophy
Tyson Fury-Oleksandr Usyk epic increases excitement for potential rematch
Knicks could get major boost for Game 7 showdown with Pacers
WNBA to investigate $100,000 sponsorship deals for Aces players
Tiger Woods blames one big factor for missing the cut at PGA Championship
Giants All-Star pitcher suffers setback in recovery from injury
Watch: Juan Soto's first multi-homer game as a Yankee
'Ain't good enough': Draymond Green claims Celtics must 'win it all' or it's a 'failure'
Blue Jays GM wants struggling club to feel 'massive sense of urgency'
Raptors expected to flip former NBA champion during the offseason
MLB insider reveals Mets' massive extension offer that Pete Alonso turned down
Celtics legend provides update after gruesome finger injury
Bulls hire former NBA head coach as top assistant
Chiefs move on from young running back
20-year MLB veteran working out, unsure about playing future
USA Hockey names HC for 2025 4 Nations Face-Off and 2026 Olympics
Key Knicks forward ruled out for Game 7 vs. Pacers

Want more sports news?

Join the hundreds of thousands of fans who start their day with Yardbarker's Morning Bark, the best newsletter in sports.