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Canadiens Sign Lane Hutson To Eight-Year Extension

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The Montreal Canadiens have gotten their young defensive star locked up for the foreseeable future. According to a team announcement, the Canadiens have signed Lane Hutson to an eight-year, $70.8MM ($8.85MM AAV) contract extension.

Shortly after the announcement, PuckPedia broke down the structure of Hutson’s new extension:

  • Year 1: $1MM salary, $11MM signing bonus
  • Year 2: $1MM salary, $11MM signing bonus
  • Year 3: $1MM salary, $9.5MM signing bonus
  • Year 4: $1MM salary, $6.5MM signing bonus
  • Year 5: $1.2MM salary, $6MM signing bonus
  • Year 6: $1.2MM salary, $6MM signing bonus, 10 team no-trade clause
  • Year 7: $2.2MM salary, $5MM signing bonus, 10-team no-trade clause
  • Year 8: $7.2MM salary, 10-team no-trade clause

The news is somewhat of a surprise, given last week’s update from Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. Friedman noted that while both parties were close on terms and salary, there was a disagreement regarding “philosophy” concerning a Retirement Compensation Agreement (RCA). This agreement was the Canadiens’ attempt to maximize Hutson’s after-tax earnings while keeping his salary below $10MM.

In our update regarding Hutson, PHR’s Josh Erickson broke down an RCA, writing, “An RCA agreement allows a player to defer up to 49% of their salary – delaying earnings but retaining more of them. The deferred money isn’t taxed at its usual rate, which can exceed 50% in Canada for top NHL earners. Whatever is deferred is split in half, with one half going to a refundable deposit with Canada’s tax agency and the other half going into the trust. After an American player (i.e., Hutson) retires and returns to the United States, they receive the deposit back with no tax deducted. In contrast, withdrawals from the trust are taxed at American federal and state rates, which are often lower than the rates the player would pay in Canada.”

In their announcement, the Canadiens didn’t allude to the inclusion of an RCA in the new extension, and we’ll likely never know. Still, today’s agreement indicates that it wasn’t as much of a hangup as previously believed.

Objectively, Hutson’s most obvious comparable would be New Jersey Devils’ defenseman Luke Hughes, who signed a seven-year, $63MM deal shortly before the start of the 2025-26 season. Impressively, the Canadiens were able to keep Hutson’s salary lower than Hughes’ (albeit minimally), while gaining another year of him on the roster.

Still, this contract is more of a gamble than Hughes’ is. Despite winning the Calder Memorial Trophy last season as the league’s top rookie, Hutson only has 92 games of NHL experience (including playoffs) compared to Hughes’ 161.

Regardless, Hutson made the most of his only full season in the league. He tied Larry Murphy’s all-time assist record for rookie defensemen (60), and tied Phil Housley with 66 points, the fourth-most in NHL history for a freshman blueliner. Further, Hutson finished 9th in voting for the James Norris Memorial Trophy, joining Rasmus Dahlin, Thomas Harley, and Jake Sanderson as the only under-25 defenseman to finish top-10 in voting.

Unfortunately, although his offensive prowess is palpable, Hutson brings a lot of question marks on the defensive side of the puck. He finished last year with an 88.7% on-ice save percentage at even strength, despite starting 66.7% of his shifts in the offensive zone.

Meanwhile, although he spent much of the year next to Jayden Struble, his primary defensive partner was Kaiden Guhle before he suffered a longer-term injury. According to MoneyPuck, when paired with Guhle, who is his defensive partner this season, the two combined for a 48.1% xGoals%, which was middle-of-the-pack production on a playoff-caliber Canadiens lineup.

Another cause for concern would be Hutson’s size. While height and weight have become less important for forwards, they remain significant qualities for most teams’ defensive cores in the league. Hutson stands at 5’9″, 162 lbs, which may make him more susceptible to injuries, especially if Montreal lines up against a heavy-hitting team such as the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Regardless, Montreal now has three of its top-four defensemen signed to long-term contracts. Even after Hutson’s contract takes effect, the Canadiens will have approximately $28MM in cap space, leaving them plenty of room to sign Mike Matheson and keep their defensive core intact for the foreseeable future.

Photo courtesy of Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images.

New York Islanders Reassign Calum Ritchie

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According to a team announcement, the New York Islanders have reassigned forward Calum Ritchie to the AHL’s Bridgeport Islanders. Ritchie had begun the year on the season-opening injured reserve, working his way back from a lower-body issue.

Ritchie was projected to return as late as October 17th. A report from a few days ago highlighted that he had been practicing with the Islanders, indicating that he was more likely to return early. He had scored one goal and two points in four preseason contests, averaging 15:24 of ice time, before suffering the lower-body ailment.

Despite beginning his season in the AHL, there is some hope that Ritchie could feature for the Islanders by the end of the 2025-26 campaign. Still, it’ll be his first long-term taste of professional hockey, spending most of last season with the OHL’s Oshawa Generals after skating in seven games with the Colorado Avalanche to begin the year. The Islanders acquired Ritchie at last season’s trade deadline in the deal that sent Brock Nelson to Denver.

He had an impressive year with the Generals, scoring 15 goals and 70 points in 47 regular-season games, and adding nine more goals and 25 points in 21 postseason contests. During the 2024-25 U20 World Junior Championships, playing for Team Canada, Ritchie registered one goal and one assist in five games.

Meanwhile, Ritchie could have more responsibility than most 20-year-olds in the AHL. Bridgeport finished the 2024-25 season as one of the worst offensive teams in the AHL, averaging 2.51 goals per game. Given his offensive prowess, Ritchie will likely find himself in a top-six role, giving him a larger opportunity to move up the depth chart should he find success.

Five Key Stories: 10/6/25 – 10/12/25

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The 2025-26 NHL season is officially underway and as expected, it was a busy week around the league.  Here’s a rundown of the week’s key stories.

Cooley Says No: More and more often, teams are now trying to lock up their top young players to max-term deals as soon as possible, a reasonable approach with the salary cap expected to jump quicker.  The Mammoth tried that approach with center Logan Cooley, however, the center reportedly turned down an eight-year, $77MM extension offer.  The 21-year-old had a strong sophomore year last season, tallying 25 goals and 40 assists in 75 games, showing that he’s well on his way to being the number one center of the present and future.  The offer would have made him Utah’s highest-paid forward by a significant margin but it looks like he’s either hoping for a bigger offer (or one that isn’t as long term-wise) or will wait to see how things go this season in the hopes of an improved offer coming next summer.

Big Money For Connor: With Kirill Kaprizov coming off the market last week in a record-setting deal, another top winger won’t be testing free agency in July either.  The Jets will be keeping winger Kyle Connor around for the long haul, inking him to an eight-year, $96MM extension, matching the deals given to Mikko Rantanen and Mitch Marner in recent months.  Notably, Winnipeg broke their long-standing policy on not putting signing bonus money or a no-move clause in contracts in order to get the deal done.  Connor is coming off a career year that saw him surpass the 40-goal mark for the second time in four years while also putting up 97 points.  He now joins Connor Hellebuyck and Mark Scheifele as long-term mainstays that won’t be leaving anytime soon.

Bigger Money For Eichel: While Connor’s contract was big (one of the biggest in NHL history), it wasn’t even the biggest deal signed this week.  That particular distinction belongs to Golden Knights center Jack Eichel, who signed an eight-year, $108MM extension that begins next season.  The $13.5MM AAV will be the third-highest in the league behind only Kaprizov ($17MM) and Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl ($14MM).  Eichel found another gear offensively last season, collecting 94 points in 77 games and is averaging more than a point per game since Vegas acquired him back in 2021.  Once the deal kicks in, he’ll pass Marner ($12MM) as the highest-paid player on their books while Vegas now has their top middleman locked up for the long haul.

Oilers Sign Four: Throughout the offseason, progress (or lack thereof) on Connor McDavid’s contract talks dominated the discussion with some wondering if this was going to drag into the season.  While it took until the eve of the campaign, the captain decided to stick around, inking a two-year, $25MM extension.  As the face of the franchise and one of the elite players in the league, it’s fair to say that McDavid left a lot of money on the table relative to the deal that Kaprizov received just days earlier.  But by sticking with his current cap hit, McDavid is hoping that the extra flexibility can be used to make his team as strong as possible as they look to win a Stanley Cup title.

How have they spent that money?  By keeping some of the back end intact.  At the same time they announced the McDavid deal, they also signed defenseman Jake Walman to a seven-year, $49MM extension.  A cap dump by Detroit in the 2024 offseason, Walman turned around his fortunes last season in San Jose and became a key part of Edmonton’s back end at the trade deadline, a role he’ll have with them for the long haul now.

More of the savings from McDavid’s deal also went to blueliner Mattias Ekholm, who received a three-year, $12MM extension.  It’s a big discount from his current $6.25MM price tag (between Edmonton and Nashville) but it also reflects the fact he’ll be 36 when the contract begins.  A top-four fixture now, that might not be the case at the end of the deal.  However, he should still be an impactful piece for another couple of years.  Meanwhile, they also added to their current roster, signing UFA forward Jack Roslovic to a one-year, $1.5MM contract.  Following a 22-goal season, expectations were high in the summer for a multi-year deal but one to his liking never materialized.  Instead, he’ll settle for this deal and hope to boost his value heading into free agency next summer on the heels of a season in Edmonton’s middle six.

Norris Out Again: Injuries have been an issue for Josh Norris for several years now, a reality that is now impacting the Sabres once again.  He’s now set to miss a significant amount of time due to an upper-body injury.  Acquired at the trade deadline last year in a package deal that sent Dylan Cozens to Ottawa, Norris suffered a season-ending injury in just his third game with Buffalo.  Now, his fourth regular season appearance will see him missing extended time once again.  The Sabres were counting on Norris – who managed 21 goals last season in just 56 games – to be a key contributor but now, he’ll be watching from the sidelines for the foreseeable future.

Photo courtesy of Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images.

Metropolitan Notes: Dadonov, Gudbranson, Slavin, Flyers

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Earlier today, the Devils placed winger Evgenii Dadonov on injured reserve with his fractured hand.  While a full timeline for recovery remains unknown, New Jersey clearly knows he’ll be out a while as PuckPedia reports (Twitter link) that the winger has been moved to LTIR.  In doing so, they’re certifying that he will miss at least 10 games and 24 days because of the injury.  With the placement, the Devils have added $1MM in room to their LTIR pool, giving themselves a bit more recall flexibility.  The 36-year-old also has $2.25MM in potential performance bonuses but those aren’t eligible to be added to an LTIR pool.  He’ll need to play in at least 50 games during the regular season to max out on the regular season games played portion of those incentives.

More from the Metropolitan Division:

  • Blue Jackets defenseman Erik Gudbranson exited Saturday’s victory over Minnesota early due to an upper-body injury, notes Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch. The injury occurred on a hit from Marcus Foligno late in the second period but while he came out briefly for the third period, he quickly returned to the dressing room.  Gudbranson was limited to just 16 games last season due to a shoulder injury and an early absence this year certainly isn’t ideal, especially with this being the final year of his contract.  Aaron Portzline of The Athletic adds (Twitter link) that the team won’t be providing any updates on Gudbranson’s status today.
  • Hurricanes defenseman Jaccob Slavin left Saturday’s game against Philadelphia in the third period with what looks to be a knee injury, relays Cory Lavalette of the North State Journal. It’s expected that the team will know more on his status on Monday.  Slavin has been a critical piece of Carolina’s back end for several years now and was off to a solid start before the injury.  If he’s unable to play in their next game on Tuesday against San Jose, veteran Mike Reilly would likely make his Carolina debut.
  • While most teams know who their starting goalie is by now, the Flyers appear to be one of the exceptions. Samuel Ersson entered the season as the incumbent after being the starter for the last couple of years but they also added Daniel Vladar in free agency.  Earlier this week, head coach Rick Tocchet told reporters including Jackie Spiegel of the Philadelphia Inquirer that the plan is to rotate the two for a while and see who takes the lead.  It’s actually the same situation that Vladar had to start last season as he platooned with Dustin Wolf before Wolf took over as the full-fledged starter in the second half.  He’ll have to wait a while to have a chance of coming out on the other side of that battle now in Philadelphia.

Oilers Have Held Extension Talks With Brett Kulak

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It has been a busy week for the Oilers on the extension front as they’ve signed center Connor McDavid along with defensemen Jake Walman and Mattias Ekholm to contract extensions.  If they have their way, there’s at least one more to come.

TSN’s Ryan Rishaug recently reported (Twitter link) that Edmonton has engaged in extension talks for pending UFA defenseman Brett Kulak.  However, unlike those other players, nothing appears to be imminent at this time.

The 31-year-old is in the final season of a four-year, $11MM contract and he is slated to become an unrestricted free agent in July if a new deal can’t be reached by then.  At times, Kulak’s contract has been high enough to lead to trade speculation when the Oilers needed to free up some cap space but each time, they’ve found a way to open up the cap room while keeping him around.

This is Kulak’s fifth season in Edmonton after being acquired from Montreal in 2022 for blueliner William Lagesson and a pair of draft picks (one of which was used to select Lane Hutson a few months later).  Early in his tenure with the team, he was used in more of a third-pairing role which made the price point a bit of a premium for that role.

However, head coach Kris Knoblauch leaned on Kulak a lot more last season as his ATOI jumped by more than five minutes a night from 15:23 per game to 20:32.  That jumped even higher in the playoffs to 23:25, second among all Edmonton defenders.

That usage will make locking down an early extension a little trickier.  Edmonton’s preference would likely be to keep paying him in that number five range with a price tag that should slot in around the $3.5MM mark.  On the other hand, Kulak’s camp will probably be seeking a deal more commensurate with a number four defender, something around a million or so more per season.

As things stand, the Oilers have around $17.7MM in cap space for next season, per PuckPedia, based on the original salary cap projection of $104.5MM for 2026-27.  However, they still have half a dozen or so roster spots to fill with that money, including a goalie tandem.  As the market for netminders continues to go up, it’s possible that they’ll need to spend half of their cap room or more on that position which would make it difficult to fit Kulak back onto their books if his next contract is around a quarter of that cap space.

Accordingly, it’s not too surprising that talks haven’t progressed quickly as it makes sense for both sides to see what type of role Kulak will have this season while also seeing if one of their goaltenders will be worth keeping for 2026-27 and beyond.  But at this point, it’s clear that GM Stan Bowman wants to keep the veteran in the fold for a little while longer.  It just might take a while for it to happen.

Panthers Recall Tobias Bjornfot

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With Dmitry Kulikov being placed on injured reserve back on Friday, the Panthers had an open roster spot at their disposal.  They’ve now filled that spot as they’ve recalled defenseman Tobias Bjornfot from AHL Charlotte, per the AHL’s transactions log.

The 24-year-old was an injury recall a couple of times last season, seeing stints with Florida back in January and March last season, getting into 14 games overall where he was held off the scoresheet while averaging just over 13 minutes per game.  For his career, Bjornfot has a goal and 14 assists in 134 NHL appearances between Los Angeles, Vegas, and Florida.

Bjornfot played in three games with the Panthers in the preseason but cleared waivers last weekend, paving the way for him to return to the Checkers.  This stint lasted all of one game and if Kulikov is indeed out longer term as expected, he may be up with Florida for a while this time.  Bjornfot had 18 points in 50 games at the AHL level last season.

With Florida deep into using LTIR (with Matthew Tkachuk, Aleksander Barkov, and Tomas Nosek), they’re not banking any cap room right now, meaning that Bjornfot’s recall doesn’t do much beyond cutting into their current LTIR space.  That sits at just over $1.49MM, per PuckPedia, meaning they have enough cap space for one more recall if more injuries arise.

Flyers Recall Emil Andrae, Loan Dennis Gilbert To AHL

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The Philadelphia Flyers have announced that they have called up defenseman Emil Andrae, while loaning fellow defender Dennis Gilbert to Lehigh Valley in a corresponding move.

It was speculated earlier in the month that Philadelphia could look to deal Andrae, as he bounces around roles in the organization. Yet now, after two games outside the win column, the Flyers have made a move likely popular with fans, bringing up an intriguing younger player for the journeyman 28-year-old Gilbert, who has 111 NHL games under his belt, but does not quite jump out as much more than organizational depth. 

Apparently one game in the AHL was enough for Andrae, at least for now, as he notched two assists for the Phantoms. Now, the Swedish defenseman will look to take a step forward after 42 games with the Flyers last season with 7 points and a -5. 

Meanwhile, Gilbert has not appeared in the AHL since the 2022-23 season, skating in 26 games for the Calgary Wranglers. The veteran will be an immediate standout for the Phantoms, especially as they have a younger defense corps overall, and the Buffalo native will have his sights on earning another call-up to the NHL at some point. 

Metropolitan Notes: Devils, Capitals, Rangers

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The New Jersey Devils have announced that Evgenii Dadonov has been placed on injured reserve, and in a corresponding move, they have recalled Brian Halonen from AHL Utica. 

Given Dadonov’s fractured hand, there was some speculation earlier today as to what the Devils would do. Rather than turn to a younger prospect, New Jersey has called upon Halonen, 26. Undrafted out of Michigan Tech University, Halonen has spent the past four seasons with the Utica Comets, including a 27-goal breakout last year. His efforts have led to two brief call-ups in the past, two games apiece in the last two years, where the Minnesota native has not yet recorded a point. 

In place of Dadonov, the team could turn to fellow Russian Arseny Gritsyuk for a larger role, having already impressed as a 24-year-old rookie out of the KHL, with two assists in as many games. Meanwhile, Halonen will provide depth and hope to slot into the team’s bottom six. Dadonov, 36, was brought in last summer on a one year, $1MM deal, however, he has been a steady offensive presence in 617 NHL games, and was a candidate to outperform the contract. The injury in his Devils’ debut is undoubtedly a set-back, but unfortunately New Jersey is no stranger to such adversity, especially after last season. 

Elsewhere across the Metropolitan Division:

  • Chris Cerullo of Russian Machine Never Breaks outlined an interesting draft story from Washington last June. As seen in a behind-the-scenes video posted by the team, the Capitals aggressively tried to move up ten spots or more to select Lynden Lakovic, the talented Moose Jaw Warriors winger. Such efforts proved futile, however, the Caps’ brass watched on the edge of their seats as Lakovic remained on the board. Finally, after Nashville selected Ryker Lee at 26, Washington jumped to snag the 6’4” forward. Lakovic remains in the WHL this season, but forecasts as a big part of the Capitals’ future, as another forward with imposing size. As time goes on, it will be fascinating to see how Lakovic, along with each forward taken before him, pans out; especially given the hypotheticals. As also mentioned in the article, the Capitals were thrilled again when Milton Gastrin, their second-round selection, also fell into their laps.
  • Rangers Head Coach Mike Sullivan told Colin Stephenson of Newsday Sports that Jonathan Quick will handle starting duty for the Blueshirts tonight as they host the Capitals. The news is not surprising, given Igor Shesterkin’s usage last night in Pittsburgh. However, it will be interesting to see how much the 39-year-old Quick is deployed this season, and what he still has to offer. Stephenson also mentioned that young defenseman Matthew Robertson will slot into the lineup for Carson Soucy, who was placed on IR earlier today. 

Maple Leafs Debuting Easton Cowan In Top-Line Role

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Earlier today, Mark Masters of TSN revealed Toronto’s lines at practice, and confirmed that Easton Cowan appears all set to make his NHL debut on the Leafs’ first line tomorrow versus the Red Wings. 

The lights could not be much brighter for Toronto’s standout prospect, an Ontario native who grew up rooting for the team, to debut on Auston Matthews’ wing against Detroit tomorrow at home. Originally drafted 28th overall in 2023, Cowan quickly emerged as a standout with the London Knights, helping lead the marquee franchise to back-to-back OHL titles and a Memorial Cup. With Cowan up top, Matias Maccelli, an intriguing pickup from the Leafs during the offseason, will slot in with John Tavares and William Nylander, still a great spot for the talented playmaker as he finds his role in Toronto. 

Although Cowan had a slight statistical regression in his final season with London (96 points to 69) while also appearing in 8 fewer games, the hometown youngster is Toronto’s undisputed top prospect with legitimate top-six potential. As is a challenge for any cap-constrained team vying to extend their contention window, the emergence of players such as Cowan is critical. It is especially the case for the Leafs, given their lack of high draft picks in previous years, along with Mitch Marner’s departure, and the trading away of fellow key prospect Fraser Minten last season. Toronto was able to strike gold with their 2021 second round choice, Matthew Knies, and they hope Cowan will follow the same blueprint, soon injecting more youth into the club. 

At just 20, and having yet to play professional hockey at all, Cowan could end up back in the AHL at some point, but the Leafs have placed their prospect in an incredible opportunity to succeed right away. Many eyes will be on Cowan and how he rises to the occasion, filling in for for the currently injured Steven Lorentz. The awaited-debut will come tomorrow afternoon. 

Afternoon Notes: Kleven, Player Fines, Devils

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This afternoon TSN’s Bruce Garrioch updated that Tyler Kleven expects to play tomorrow, as the Sens host Nashville in an afternoon tilt. Garrioch also mentioned Drake Batherson, who remains sidelined, but is still expected to return sometime this week, as noted yesterday. Having both been injured in training camp, last week it was speculated that the pair of Senators could possibly have appeared for the team’s season opener. While that was not the case, it appears Batherson and Kleven are on the cusp of a return, joining the one-win, one-loss club with high expectations this season. 

Elsewhere across the league:

  • This afternoon, the NHL Department of Player Safety announced a pair of $2,500 fines from infractions during Saturday’s games; the recipients being Ian Cole and Tyler Myers. Cole caught discipline for what was noted as a “dangerous trip” on Steven Stamkos. Next, fellow veteran Myers was fined for slashing Connor McDavid. Cole was caught up in a bizarre play with Stamkos, where both players ended up in the box as the Nashville forward’s stick struck Cole as he came down from the trip. Meanwhile, Myers was looking to box out attackers around Thatcher Demko, business as usual for the 6’8” defenseman, when he swung his stick upward, catching McDavid in the groin area, leading to a minor penalty.
  • With newcomer Evgenii Dadonov likely to miss multiple weeks with a fractured hand, James Nichols of New Jersey Hockey Now speculated earlier today on how the lineup should adjust. Nichols pointed out prospect Shane Lachance as deserving of an opportunity to be called up for his NHL debut. Acquired from Edmonton by New Jersey in the three-team deal headlined by Trent Frederic last season, Lachance, a former 6th-round pick has become a standout prospect for the Devils. After two respectable seasons with Boston University, the 6’5” forward turned pro last season, appearing in two games with AHL Utica, netting a goal and an assist. Although he has yet to find the scoresheet early on this season with the Comets, Lachance has the frame to slot into any lineup. Nichols also mentioned exciting rookie Arseny Gritsyuk as a candidate to move up to a top-line role, perhaps holding down the fort for his mentor, Dadonov. Regardless, it is a tough blow for a Devils’ club which is all too familiar with injuries to key players.

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