Canadiens' Lane Hutson gets 100% honest about his teammate Ivan Demidov

Lane Hutson’s first full season with the Montreal Canadiens showed why he is already an important player. Drafted 62nd in 2022, he scored six goals and added 60 assists for 66 points in the 2024-25 regular season, earning the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s top rookie. His playmaking from the blue line quickly became one of Montreal’s strengths.

In the playoffs, Hutson had five assists in five games and finished with a -5 rating. Even without scoring a goal, his passing and puck movement stood out. Looking back, he said he felt encouraged by the season and excited for what comes next.

Part of that excitement comes from playing alongside Ivan Demidov, Montreal’s first-round pick in 2024. The two trained together during the summer, and Hutson spoke openly about what he noticed.

“I got to see how hard he works and the type of guy he is,” Hutson said, via TVASports on Thursday. “What he does every day is very special. He has a tremendous work ethic and it was good to be around him for a few weeks during the summer.”

Demidov appeared in two regular-season games, recording one goal and one assist last season. In the playoffs, he added two assists in Game 4 against Washington but finished without a goal and carried a -5 rating.

Earlier in April, Demidov shared his approach with Habs in an interview.

“Most likely, I’ll have time to play in the regular season for Montreal,” Demidov said, via RG. “My goal for the rest of the season is to adapt to this new style of hockey as quickly as possible and show what I’m capable of.”

Tony Marinaro's comments on Lane Hutson for USA snub

NHL insider Tony Marinaro criticized USA Hockey for not inviting Lane Hutson to the 2026 Olympic orientation camp. He spoke on The Sick Podcast with Brian Wilde, saying Hutson’s 2024-25 season showed he deserved a spot.

"If you are on Mars or Jupiter or whatever," Marinaro said." You're going to notice that Lane Hutson finished seventh in scoring. That Hutson tied an NHL record that was going on since 1981 for most assists by a rookie defenseman, tying the great Larry Murphy."

Marinaro noted Hutson played the most minutes for Montreal last season. He also placed in the top 10 in several defensive stats. Marinaro said Hutson is a top 15 NHL defenseman, so leaving him out was hard to understand.