Big Update on Lane Hutson Negotiations

The news that talks have started and that things are amicable means it’s possible that the deal could be signed within the next couple of weeks, which could also allow the Habs to keep their prized defenseman until the age of 30. 

Another reason it would be ideal for the Habs to sign the maximum amount of years with Hutson is that they could likely get him at a better value contract now after his rookie season than if they wait a year and he has a similar season as his first year. If that’s the case, Hutson and his agent would be able to request a higher AAV for the 7-year contract. 

D’Amico’s article also discusses how Noah Dobson’s 8-year $9.5 Million per year contract with the Habs is not necessarily the benchmark to start discussions as while Dobson is signing is 3rd contract and only had 1 year left of restricted free agent status, meaning the final 7 years of the deal are all unrestricted free agent years which are worth much more than restricted free agent years. Whereas, the first 5 years of Hutson’s potential next contract would be restricted free agent years. This would mean that Hutson would have way less leverage overall in contract negotiations. 

With that being said, a more benchmark contract to look at is that of his closest player comparable, Quinn Hughes. When Hughes signed his deal his 6-year $47  million contract ($7.85M AAV) in October 2021,  his contract was worth 9.63% of the salary cap. 

If the Habs go with the 9.63% of the salary cap equivalent to Hughes’ contract, then they would have to give Hutson a contract with a $10 million cap hit starting in the 2026-27 NHL season, where the salary cap is expected to be $104 million. 

The other two comparisons that D’Amico mentioned in his article were Jake Sanderson’s contract, which was signed for 9.2% of the cap in 2023, and Brock Faber, who signed for 8.9% of the cap. 

Since Hutson isn’t as good as Hughes yet, the Canadiens may opt to sign him for 9-9.5% of the salary cap. Meaning the cap hit for a potential contract for Hutson may end up still looking identical to Dobson’s, given the big salary jump in the NHL but it wouldn’t be based on that contract that Hutson gets that deal. However, the good news is based on D’Amico’s article, it shouldn’t cost more than a $10 million AAV. 

At the end of the day, I can see the Habs sign Hutson to an 8-year $76 million deal ($9.5M AAV) based on the deals of similar star defensemen signing their second contract in recent years. 

How much do you see Hutson signing for?