NHL analyst explains hurdles delaying Lane Hutson’s long-term extension with Canadiens

Lane Hutson’s next deal was always going to be a headline. After a rookie year with six goals and 60 assists for 66 points—ranking ninth leaguewide in assists—and a playoff cameo that featured five helpers in five games (three on the power play) while averaging about 25 minutes a night, the 21-year-old has vaulted from blue-chip prospect to cornerstone. He’s under a three-year entry-level contract through 2025–26, but the Canadiens have already opened dialogue on a long-term extension.On “The Shaun Starr Show,” analyst Marco D’Amico framed the holdup succinctly: “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.” Chief among them, D’Amico noted, is the leaguewide pricing ripple from the cap bump. “The salary cap increase has created basically a reset of the market… 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,” he said.Beyond dollars, term is strategic. D’Amico contrasted Hutson’s leverage with RFAs such as Noah Dobson and K’Andre Miller—players closer to arbitration rights and offer-sheet danger. For a 21-year-old, the calendar matters. “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.” A shorter bridge-into-payday path could maximize Hutson’s prime earnings, while Montreal may prefer to buy UFA years and stabilize its blue line cost structure.Contract comparables are drifting upward. On “32 Thoughts,” Elliotte Friedman cautioned that keeping Hutson under Nick Suzuki’s $7.875 million AAV ceiling may be unrealistic: “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.” Also Read: NHL Trade Rumors: Oilers target Bruins’ ex-first-round pick Fabian Lysell as Boston weighs future of young wingerWith Dobson cited alongside an eight-year, $76 million benchmark, the Canadiens face a classic contender’s puzzle: reward a rising star without warping the hierarchy. Talks are ongoing, but the math—and the moment—suggest Hutson’s number won’t come cheap.