Lane Hutson owes the front office and Martin St. Louis a thank you gift.
It’s understandable if you find it hard to believe that a defensive defenseman on a separate pairing is being credited for the offensive success of another player. Yet, after diving into Arpon Basu’s intriguing article in The Athletic, it becomes clear why Lane Hutson can attribute some of his offensive achievements to Alexandre Carrier.
Hutson has registered two goals and eight assists in his last ten games, achieving a point-per-game pace for the first time in his career. While there are numerous factors contributing to his rise, Basu attributes much of it to the acquisition of Carrier and Martin St. Louis’ choice to pair Hutson with Kaiden Guhle.
A key concern for the Canadiens’ defensive lineup was ensuring Guhle could return to his natural left side. Although he has been playing on the right side for the team’s benefit, this wasn’t the long-term plan for the young defenseman. With Carrier’s addition, it’s evident that the team performs better when Guhle is back on his strong side.
Carrier’s arrival allowed the Canadiens to balance their lineup with three offensive and three defensive defensemen. (Basu considers Arber Xhekaj an offensive defenseman, which I don’t entirely agree with.) According to Basu, standard logic would dictate pairing an offensive defenseman with a defensive one, but St. Louis decided to team Matheson with Hutson instead.
Fans were on edge the first time that pairing hit the ice due to its potential for being a significant defensive weakness. However, Matheson and Hutson have shown that sometimes the best defense is a strong offense. If they dominate puck possession during their shifts, it becomes challenging for the opposition to score.
Carrier and Guhle handle most of the defensive duties, allowing Hutson and Matheson to exploit mismatches against lower-tier competition. The decision to bring in Carrier may have been underestimated, but it has turned into one of the most astute moves by the front office and St. Louis during this era.
I won’t spoil too much from Basu’s article; it’s definitely worth reading if you’re a Canadiens fan. The trade of Barron for Carrier may have gone unnoticed at first, but it has significantly altered the trajectory of the 2024-25 Montreal Canadiens.
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