NHL analysts feel Lane Hutson deserves AAV deal more than Habs' highest-paid $76,000,000 million D-man

NHL analysts Frankie Corrado and Carlo Colaiacovo believe Lane Hutson deserves an AAV deal higher than Noah Dobson’s.

Hutson is in the final year of his three-year entry-level contract. He became eligible for an extension on July 1, 2025, but no deal has been finalized despite ongoing talks.

According to rumors, the contract situation has grown complicated, with recent market resets pushing his projected AAV higher. On TSN's First Up podcast, Corrado shared his thoughts on whether Hutson should become the highest-paid player on the Canadiens.

He suggested that the 21-year-old should earn more than Noah Dobson's $9.5 million AAV:

"Have, and I'm going to go Price is Right style on this. Lane Hutson, nine and a half million dollars plus a penny," Corrado said. "So if I'm looking at where Lane Hutson fits into that, he's the most important defenseman on the team. He's probably going to be the most productive defenseman on the team. Noah Dobson makes $9.5 million. I know it's not apples to apples because of the ages and the UFA years, but a little more than Dobson likely gets the job done."

Colaicovo agreed with Corrado's point, arguing that Lane Hutson deserves a higher AAV than Noah Dobson:

"I'm going to go have on this one too," he said. "I think he has the potential to be a 70 or 80-plus point defenseman. And if you look at the contracts that young defensemen have just recently gotten on long-term deals. he's a better defenseman than Noah Dobson. I think he could eclipse $10 million here, because the cap's going up."

Dobson is currently the highest-paid defenseman on the Habs roster after signing an eight-year, $76 million contract extension earlier in the summer.

Lane Hutson had a tough start in the Canadiens' season opener loss to Leafs

Hutson had a rough start to the 2025-26 season in a 5-2 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday.

The Calder Trophy winner recorded an assist on Zack Bolduc's goal but was on the ice for the Toronto tallies, including a crucial third-period goal by Morgan Rielly after Hutson lost his stick.

“We had enough chances,” Hutson said post-game via NHL.com. “Would have been nice to execute on a couple chances and maybe get some more shots down. I think the guys played good and I definitely need to be better.”

Nonetheless, Lane Hutson's Canadiens bounced back with a thumping 5-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday.

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Edited by Abhishek Dilta