"Assist merchant, can't defend", "Calder Trophy is his": NHL fans divided as Habs' Lane Hutson becomes first rookie to reach 50 points this season

Lane Hutson of the Montreal Canadiens became the first rookie to reach 50 points this season. He recorded two assists in the Canadiens' 5-4 loss to the Seattle Kraken on Wednesday. His season total is now 51 points, which includes four goals.

Despite Hutson’s contributions, the Canadiens struggled defensively. They allowed five goals, faced 35 shots and gave up two power-play goals. The team recorded 25 shots on goal but fell short.

The NHL shared a post on X to congratulate Hutson:

"IT'S LANE! 🔵⚪️🔴 Lane Hutson is the first rookie to reach the 50-point mark this season!"

Fans reacted in the comments to Lane Hutson's points with mixed opinions.

"Assist merchant, can't defend," one fan said.

"The Calder Trophy is his. #GoHabsGo," another fan supported him.

"I dont care. Literally no one cares. Hes not winning Norris, cant even play his position. Wolf for Calder" a fan mentioned.

Here are some more fan reactions on X:

"Top 10 in the NHL for points by a defenseman (7th) 20 years old rookie 🤯🤯🤯🤯," a fan wrote in surprise.

"2nd rounder straight out of college. This is something else! The way he adjusted to the league since day 1 is insane. This kid is an absolute GAMER! LFG 🔥🔥🔥," another fan wrote.

"Hutson just matched Cale Makar and Moritz Seider' total with plenty of games to play (Makar obviously did it faster, it's Makar) for the 17th best rookie defenseman season of all time," a fan pointed.

Hutson’s performance has sparked debate because of his -14 rating this season.

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Lane Hutson and the Canadiens lost despite a second-period comeback effort

The Montreal Canadiens lost in overtime to the Seattle Kraken at Climate Pledge Arena, despite scoring three third-period goals. Lane Hutson played 20:57 minutes and recorded one shot on goal. He received nearly one and a half minutes of less ice time against Kraken than his season average.

Brandon Montour scored at 4:54 of the first period before Eeli Tolvanen made it 2-0 at 4:47 of the second with a wrist shot from the right circle.

Patrik Laine cut the lead to 2-1 at 7:11, one-timing Nick Suzuki’s pass on the power play. Alex Newhook tied it 2-2 at 11:21, redirecting Laine’s cross-crease pass.

Juraj Slafkovsky gave Montreal a 3-2 lead at 14:04, stickhandling around Ryker Evans and scoring from a sharp angle. He made it 4-2 at 7:18 of the third, deflecting Jayden Struble’s shot.

Jani Nyman scored his first NHL goal at 10:53 to make it 4-3. Matty Beniers tied it late before Montour won in overtime.