On Monday morning, the Montreal Canadiens announced a big part of their future is secure. The Habs signed defenseman Lane Hutson to an 8-year extension that has an $8.85M AAV.
Hutson, 21, won the Calder Trophy last year as the NHL’s rookie of the year after posting 66 points (6 goals, 60 assists) in 82 games with the Habs. He was originally a second-round pick (No. 62 overall) by Montreal in the 2022 NHL Draft and appeared in 87 NHL regular-season games before signing the blockbuster extension.
Hutson’s deal appears to be a win for both the player and the club at this point, but there are a lot of variable that can come into play when paying a young player with 87 games on the back of his hockey card. We talked about that when the Blackhawks extended Frank Nazar earlier this summer.
But the Hutson deal is specifically noteworthy for the Blackhawks because there are two players who many view as the “core” of the future of the franchise who will need contract extensions in the coming months. Connor Bedard is the first to “need” a new deal; he’ll be a restricted free agent on July 1 (but, again, there’s nothing to worry about here — he’s not going anywhere).
The next in line would be defenseman Sam Rinzel, who burned the first year of his entry-level contract last year when he appeared in nine NHL games with the Blackhawks at the end of the regular season.
Rinzel, like Hutson was drafted in 2022. Rinzel was the 25th overall selection that year, 37 spots ahead of Hutson. And he spent a full year in the USHL and two at Minnesota before signing his ELC and making the move to the professional ranks.
Charles LeClaire-Imagn ImagesBlue line contract landscape
While the eight-years the Canadiens gave Hutson might not be available still when teams negotiate extensions under the new CBA, the dollar amount he received likely sets a starting point for future deals for a really good 2025-26 rookie class of defensemen that includes Matthew Schaefer of the Islanders, Zeev Buium in Minnesota, Zayne Parekh in Calgary and Rinzel with the Blackhawks.
There are eight defensemen drafted in 2019 or later who have signed extensions of at least five years and are in either the first or second year of those extensions (I included the players’ ages in parenthesis):
Luke Hughes, New Jersey (22) — 7 years, $9M AAV Moritz Seider, Detroit (24) — 7 years, $8.55M AAV Brock Faber, Minnesota (23) — 8 years, $8.5M AAV Owen Power, Buffalo (22) — 7 years, $8.35M AAV Jake Sanderson, Ottawa (23) — 8 years, $8.05M AAV Kaiden Guhle, Montreal (23) — 6 years, $5.5M AAV Cam York, Philadelphia (24) — 5 years, $5.15M AAV Alex Vlasic, Blackhawks (24) — 6 years, $4.6M AAVThere are two more defensemen who have already signed max 8-year extensions that begin with the 2026-27 season:
Jackson LaCombe, Anaheim (24) — 8 years, $9M AAV Lane Hutson Montreal (22) — 8 years $8.85M AAVThe first thing that sticks out to me from that list of ten defensemen is how great the value is on Vlasic’s deal.
The second is that teams have been handing out term on contracts faster than Halloween candy over the past couple years.
The Blackhawks gave seven years to Nazar already, and we’re still waiting to see what the term (and dollars) will be on Bedard’s second NHL contract.
Does it feel way too early to start talking about Rinzel’s second contract when he’s only appeared in 13 NHL games? Absolutely. But the front office and his agent are undoubtedly keeping this list handy to reference when they can start talking about Rinzel’s next deal as early as July 1, 2026.
Hence then, the article about lane hutson s new deal adds another comp for sam rinzel s second blackhawks contract was published today ( ) and is available on Bleacher Nation ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Lane Hutson’s New Deal Adds Another Comp for Sam Rinzel’s Second Blackhawks Contract )
Also on site :