2026 Canadiens Top 25 Under 25: #2 Ivan Demidov
Introduction
It’s very easy to underestimate Lane Hutson. It’s very hard to underestimate him in the same way more than once.
At first, there were questions about his size, to the point where the draft-eligible Hutson brought in endocrinology reports to try to convince teams that he was still growing.
Then there were questions about his skating, with McKeen’s Hockey declaring in 2022 that “the skating must be fixed, and there are public reports from extremely respectable scouts who have detailed analysis stating why this is a tough task due to mechanical inefficiencies within his stride.”
Then there were questions about his defending. “He has so much offence that he could still be a top-four defenceman, but he may also give up a lot of goals,” said Corey Pronman in 2025.
There were even questions about his compete. Considering that he’s probably skating on a rink as you read this, we don’t really need to talk about that one.
The questions keep shifting and the goalposts keep moving because all Hutson does is keep getting better. Since being drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in 2022, the defenceman has won the Hockey East scoring title, made the the U.S. World Championship squad as a 19-year-old, won the 2024 World Junior Championship, and taken home the Calder Trophy in 2025.
Technically speaking, 2025-26 marked the first season that Hutson failed to win a major award of some kind since joining the Canadiens organization. He just had to settle for a 78-point regular season (the third-highest total by a defenceman in Canadiens history), as well as a sixth-place finish in Norris Trophy voting.
Oh, and a trip to the Conference Finals. That wasn’t too bad either.
Voting
Hutson’s ascent to the top of the T25U25 was unanimous among the panel.
He was placed in the top spot by 72% of the community. His lowest vote was from one person who had him fourth.
Top 25 Under 25 History
Hutson completes a multi-year climb to the top of the T25U25 summit, making him only the second second-round draft pick to do so, after P.K. Subban in 2012 and 2013.
History of #1
| Year | #1 |
|---|---|
| 2026 | Lane Hutson |
| 2025 | Ivan Demidov |
| 2024 | Juraj Slafkovský |
| 2023 | Nick Suzuki |
| 2022 | Nick Suzuki |
| 2021 | Nick Suzuki |
| 2020 | Nick Suzuki |
| 2019 | Max Domi |
| 2018 | Jonathan Drouin |
| 2017 | Alex Galchenyuk |
| 2016 | Alex Galchenyuk |
| 2015 | Alex Galchenyuk |
| 2014 | Alex Galchenyuk |
| 2013 | P.K. Subban |
| 2012 | P.K. Subban |
| 2011 | Carey Price |
| 2010 | Carey Price |
Strengths
On the ice, Hutson’s greatest strengths are his vision and hockey IQ, both with and without the puck. Given his lack of physical stature, he has had to instead develop the anticipation and controlled aggression necessary to command the play. This gives him a level of unpredictability that makes him harder to both attack and defend against.
Off the ice, Hutson’s greatest strength is his constant drive and desire to get better, to allow his body to execute what his mind can visualize. For example, his skating since his college days has improved leaps and bounds to the point where his straight-line speed is 92nd percentile in the NHL and he can win the Canadiens’ fastest skater competition. His edge-work and agility are among the best in the league, and are essential to facilitating the kind of transition game that the Habs want to play. His shot, once an afterthought, has turned into a legitimate weapon:
But perhaps most impressively, Hutson, within the span of one season, has become — I think — the best defender on the team. The Canadiens still preferred Mike Matheson to defend late leads last season, but I believe that this balance will shift toward Hutson in the coming year. It should, anyway.
Weaknesses
He’s only 5’9″, I guess.
Certainly, Hutson’s diminutive stature limits him in certain facets on the ice. He will be at a disadvantage when trying to clear the crease or hold up opponents trying to enter the defensive zone. But that same stature is what forced him to become the tour de force that he is, to grow his creativity and adaptivity in order to mould the playing field into something that favoured him instead of the 6’4″, 220-pounders that he would eventually have to face.
Projection
As the Canadiens head into 2026-27, Lane Hutson has asserted himself as a cornerstone of both the blue line and team. The Hutson Effect is real, as he made every player better last year, with the exception of Joe Veleno.
The Canadiens have a legitimate perennial Norris Trophy candidate on their hands, and they have him for the next eight years at an annual cap hit of $8.85 million.
