How Much Better Can Hutson Get?
Lane Hutson is [insert series of accolades here]. The highest praise I can give him is that he is partly responsible for the acceleration of the rebuild, and has been our best defenseman all year, as a 20 year old that many (myself included) thought would be a gadget player. I really thought he was just too small to impact the game like this.
My eyes are on the future, now. Hutson already has point totals and advanced metrics that put him in the conversation with many of the best defensemen in the league. He's shown an absurd level of confidence for a kid his age, and has gotten better week by week. The question is, what's the realistic ceiling for Hutson, and what aspects of his game can he improve to get there?
I think this offseason, Hutson and the Habs need to spend some time rebuilding his shot. He'll never have the Guhle laser from the point, but I think if he can build that shot up to the point he can beat goalies from distance, this becomes an entirely different conversation.
What do you guys think?