On Feb. 12, the Toronto forward will exchange the blue-and-white maple leaf on his chest for the red-and-white one of Canada for the opener of the 4 Nations Face-Off against Sweden (8 p.m. ET; MAX, truTV, TNT, SN, TVAS).

Both the Stars and Canadiens have been two of the league’s hottest teams over the last month. Montreal is 11-2-1 in its last 14 games. Dallas has won 10 of its last 12.

There's of course Nick Suzuki and Cole Caulfield's steps forward in assuming their roles as franchise players, both leading the club with 43 and 42 points, respectively. But Hutson is running the defensive corps, averaging 22:42 per night, which gives him a serious edge on Celebrini and Michkov for the campaign's best rookie.

Do you know the list of teams the Montreal Canadiens have beaten recently? It's quite the impressive group of squads, with the Habs taking down the Dallas Stars

Canadiens rookie defenceman Lane Hutson has blossomed into one of the top offensive defencemen in the NHL. He has already become the team’s number-one defenceman and power play quarterback.

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There has been confirmation from Jimmy Murphy at RG.org that the New Jersey Devils are beginning discussions to extend former Canadiens defender, Johnathan Kovacevic.

The pairing of Hutson and Matheson goes against hockey's convetional wisdom, but Martin St. Louis is not a conventional coach.

Pregame analysis and predictions of the Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Montreal Canadiens NHL game to be played on January 18, 2025 on ESPN.

In addition to elite offensive flair, diminutive Canadiens rookie defenceman has shown he can more than hold his own in his own zone.

After benefitting early from a flurry of Montreal penalties, Utah was up 2-1 going into the second period, but it wouldn't last. Utah would be outscored 4-1 the rest of the game as Montreal took advantage of Utah's slow defensive rotations along with many opportunities in transition.