"Got less than dobshit" "Most team friendly deal of all time": NHL fans react as Lane Hutson signs 8-year, $70.8M contract extension with Canadiens

Lane Hutson has signed an eight-year contract extension with the Montreal Canadiens worth $8.85 million per year. Before the extension, Hutson’s contract talks had been kept quiet. The 21-year-old defenseman is in the final year of his entry-level deal.

Negotiations began in the summer but slowed down, and both the Canadiens and Hutson’s camp decided to stay private after rumors started affecting him. NHL insider Chris Johnston shared the news on X on Monday.

"Lane Hutson signs an eight-year extension with the #habs carrying an $8.85M AAV," Johnston tweeted.

After the post, NHL fans quickly reacted to the news on X.

"WHAT?!?! This will look like the most team friendly deal of all time in 3 years," a fan said. "He got less than dobshit," another fan noted that Hutson’s AAV is lower than teammate Noah Dobson’s $9.5 million. "Great deal. In about a year or two, it'll look very cheap. He's got security, and the AAV that, at least, currently fits this skill level and minimum ceiling. He has a really high ceiling so signing him now is the best idea. Got him cheaper than he would've been. Great deal," one fan said.

Take a look at some more reactions from on X.

"Holy GM. Went Wughes GM of the year mark my words," a fan said. "holy sh*t thats incredible what the f**k," anothet fan said. "Not sure why he took less than lacombe and Hughes. Poor negotiating by his agent," a fan said.

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Elliotte Friedman explains why Canadiens kept Lane Hutson contract talks private

On Monday's episode of "32 Thoughts" Podcast, Elliotte Friedman explained why the team kept Lane Hutson contract talks private. He said the Canadiens wanted to take the story out of the public eye because of the constant focus in Montreal.

“Everybody here was worried about it; it’s Montreal, so everything is big,” Friedman said. [12:21 onwards]

He added that the Canadiens are always in the headlines, and even small updates can become major stories.

“They’re not a Section D 36 at the bottom of the right corner story. They’re in a one story,” Friedman explained.

Friedman also said keeping the talks private helps Hutson focus on hockey.

“He’s young. He’s never really gone through this before,” Friedman said. “It’s not easy being part of this discourse for the first time. So I think a lot of it was about that too. Let’s just let him worry about playing now.”

He compared the situation to goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky’s first big deal in Columbus, noting that deals can happen even when talks seem paused.

“I always believe if there’s a willingness, you can get a deal done between both sides.”

So far this season, Lane Hutson has played three games and picked up one assist.

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Edited by nagpaltusharn25