NHL analyst reveals 'outside factors' stalling Lane Hutson’s monstrous contract extension with Canadiens

Lane Hutson’s contract situation has become an important topic for the Montreal Canadiens. The young defenseman is signed to a three-year entry-level deal that runs through the 2025-26 season, but talks about his next contract have already started.

Hutson’s play has made him a priority for the Canadiens. In his first NHL season, he scored six goals and 60 assists for 66 points, ranking ninth in the league in assists. He played big minutes and showed strong offensive skills. During the playoffs, he had five assists in five games, with three of them coming on the power play, while averaging about 25 minutes per night.

On "The Shaun Starr Show," analyst Marco D’Amico said there are “outside factors” slowing down the process of finalizing Hutson’s deal.

“Relations are very good. Conversations are continuously ongoing. There is outside factors that are making the situation or delaying the situation more so than previous years,” D’Amico said on Tuesday (1:10).

He pointed to the recent salary cap increase as one of the main reasons.

“The salary cap increase has created basically a reset of the market. This was first brought up by Elliotte Friedman a couple of weeks ago, and after speaking to a lot of agents, it is absolutely real and on a lot of these people's minds when it comes to agents across the league,” D’Amico said.

D’Amico also used examples like Noah Dobson and K’Andre Miller, who had more leverage as RFAs because of arbitration rights and offer sheet eligibility. At 26 or 27, players often prefer long-term deals that take them through their prime. For a 21-year-old like Hutson, the situation is different.

“If you sign eight years now you’re basically going till 30,” D’Amico said. “But if you sign for five years, well, then you’re 26.”

Elliotte Friedman says Lane Hutson’s next contract could match Noah Dobson’s deal

On the "32 Thoughts Podcast," Elliotte Friedman explained that Montreal may not be able to keep Lane Hutson’s salary under Nick Suzuki’s $7.875 million cap hit as they had hoped.

“Lane Hutson, I’m sure initially the Canadiens wanted him to be under Suzuki; if Hutson’s gonna sign for term, it’s probably gonna be up closer to Dobson,” Friedman said.

The comparison refers to Noah Dobson’s eight-year, $76 million sign-and-trade with the New York Islanders.

The Canadiens want to commit to Lane Hutson, but the timing of the rising salary cap and the leverage of young players has created challenges. For now, talks are ongoing, and Montreal knows it will take a significant offer to secure one of its most promising players.