Canadiens' Rookie Makes NHL History on Wednesday
Montreal Canadiens defenseman Lane Hutson tied one of the longest-standing rookie defenseman records in NHL history on Wednesday night.
Hutson notched his 60th assist of the season in the Canadiens' 4-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes, matching a record first set by Hall of Famer Larry Murphy in 1981.
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Murphy reached that mark 44 years ago while playing for the Los Angeles Kings in the 1980-81 season, and the record has stood since that moment without fellow Canadiens defenseman Chris Chelios (55 assists in 1985) the closer to reaching it.
'It's cool,' Hutson said about the record following the Habs win on Wednesday. 'I really enjoy playing and the guys made it really easy on me, so it's just been a great season.'
Hutson, 21, finished his rookie season with 66 points in 82 games, which also places him in a tie for fourth all-time among rookie defensemen alongside Phil Housley.
Only Murphy, Brian Leetch (71 points), and Gary Suter (68) posted higher totals in their debut years. Hutson also passed Chris Chelios earlier in the week for the most points by a rookie defenseman in Canadiens history.
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Montreal drafted Hutson with the No. 62 overall pick in the 2022 NHL draft, and he appeared in all 82 games this season after making a brief two-game cameo last year when he already assisted two goals.
Montreal Canadiens defenseman Lane Hutson (48) plays the puck at Bell Centre.David Kirouac-Imagn Images
Hutson's final assist of the year came on Kaiden Guhle's second goal of the game against Carolina, helping Montreal clinch a 40-31-11 record and the final wildcard spot in the Eastern Conference.
The Canadiens' victory also secured their first postseason berth since 2021 as they will now shift their attention to the East-best Washington Capitals in their first-round Stanley Cup Playoffs matchup.
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As things stand, with Washington having one game left on their schedule, Hutson will enter the playoffs having more points (66) than all but two Capitals players in Alex Ovechkin (72) and Dylan Strome (81).
Related: Kaiden Guhle Inadvertently Leaks Start Date of Canadiens-Capitals Series
Related: Canadiens' Ivan Demidov Makes NHL History in Debut vs. Blackhawks
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