Lane Hutson’s New Canadiens Contract Talks Hit With Surprising Roadblock: Report

“I think the two sides were pretty close in overall dollars,” Friedman said. “There’s a philosophical hurdle here that needs to be jumped over. Someone is going to have to change their mind at this point in time for this to get done.”

According to Friedman, the Canadiens proposed a deal involving deferred payments linked to Canada’s Retirement Compensation Arrangement (RCA) system — a common tool used by Canadian teams to manage tax burdens for U.S.-born players.

Hutson’s camp, according to Friedman, rejected that setup. Friedman said this disagreement has slowed talks, though both sides remain aligned on the broader framework of the deal.

“I’ll be honest right now; I have no idea where this is going to go,” Friedman said. “Everybody will have to get back to their corners and see if there’s a way they can break this logjam.”

Despite the delay, Friedman reiterated his expectation of an eight-year contract worth roughly $9 million per season.

“On an eight-year deal, Hutson is nine-ish [million per season],” Friedman said Friday. “I could see the Canadiens trying to come in a little lower; I could see Hutson and his camp trying to come in a little higher.”

Friedman added Monday that Hutson is unlikely to surpass defenseman Noah Dobson in the team’s internal salary hierarchy. The Canadiens traded for the blueliner last June before signing him to an eight-year, $76 million extension.

"You never know where the future will take you, but it sounds like right now, Hutson won't pass Noah Dobson [in the Canadiens' salary ranks]," Friedman said. "At least until last week, that was understood overall. This one to me is a little bit emotional. Everyone takes a deep breath. We'll see where this goes."

The Canadiens will open their regular season on Wednesday with a road matchup against the Toronto Maple Leafs, with Hutson leading their defense.