The free agent defense market has been slow-moving with Jake Gardiner not signing yet. That has a lot to do with the fact that Ben Hutton remains unsigned despite being one of the top blueliners still available.
The 26-year-old had a disastrous 2017-18 campaign. He went from being a top-four defender to someone that was a healthy scratch with some regularity while failing to score in 61 games. He looked like a sure fire non-tender candidate at the expiration of his contract in 2019.
However, Hutton really turned things around last season. He worked his way back into the top four and often spent time on the top pairing as he averaged a career-best 22:21 per night while chipping in with 20 points in 69 games. Despite that, the Canucks still declined to qualify him as his eventual arbitration award would have greatly affected their cap room.
While there are teams that may be concerned about his consistently poor plus/minus (he has been -21 or worse in three of his four seasons), Hutton still is a player that could serve as an upgrade for quite a few teams. He’s also a strong skater at a time where teams are placing a greater emphasis on mobility on the back end which also helps increase his value.
Potential Suitors
Don’t mistake the fact that he remains unsigned as a sign that there wasn’t been much interest. Hutton’s agent, Andy Scott, indicated earlier this month that there are plenty of offers on the table already and that there’s no question that he’ll be signed before training camp. Speculatively, his camp may be waiting for Gardiner to sign in the hopes that once he’s off the market, offers for Hutton will only get higher.
While he’s not an ideal option on the top pairing, Hutton would represent a strong upgrade on the third pairing for a lot of teams and would fit in on the second pair on quite a few as well.
In the East, the Canadiens have been looking for help on the left side and while they’ve already added Ben Chiarot, Hutton would give them another potential upgrade. Toronto has a need for defensive help but with their salary cap situation, that’s probably not a realistic fit at this time unless there’s a trade in place to shed salary beforehand. Detroit has already added Patrik Nemeth this offseason but with several other blueliners in the final year of their respective contracts, some insurance would certainly be handy while he’d immediately become one of their younger rearguards.
Out West, the Kings have been linked to him going back to the start of free agency and they haven’t really replaced Jake Muzzin who was dealt to Toronto last season. Hutton could plausibly fit in their top four and if they are indeed looking to rebuild, he’s someone that could plausibly be dealt for future assets close to the trade deadline. The Jets have been hit hard on the back end this summer with the departures of Chiarot, Tyler Myers, and Jacob Trouba and while they need to leave a lot of money earmarked for RFA wingers Patrik Laine and Kyle Connor, there should still be enough wiggle room for them to add someone like Hutton who could push for a top-four spot there as well.
Projected Contract
Hutton was rated 38th on our Top 50 UFA list with a projected contract of two years at $2.75MM per season. While he remains unsigned, there’s still a good chance that he winds up with a deal like that (although a one-year pact is also certainly an option). Once Gardiner signs, there should start to be some movement on Hutton and with demand outweighing supply at this point when it comes to capable blueliners, he’ll be poised to capitalize on that. He may just have to wait a few more weeks for that to come to fruition.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Maybe the Rangers will look at Hutton ,with the coming buyout of Shattenkirk, I like Hutton a lot more for Rangers than Gardiner. Gardiner will be back on PTO for Leafs,