The NHL.com Fantasy team continues to cover the latest league trends and storylines through the lens of NHL EDGE puck and player tracking stats.
Today we compare the underlying parameters of defenders Quinn Hughes Vancouver Canucks and Lane Hutson of the Montreal Canadiens before their game on Saturday at Rogers Arena (7 p.m. ET; NHLN, CBC, TVAS).
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Quinn Hughes and Lane Hutson are two of the most dynamic defensemen in the NHL, and each ranks near the top in various advanced statistical categories.
Hughes, 26, is a former Norris Trophy winner and voted the NHL’s best defenseman in 2024, while Hutson, 21, won the Calder Trophy last season as the league’s top rookie. Hughes finished second in the Calder Race in 2019-20 behind Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche.
Saturday will mark the second face-to-face of their young career; the first took place on January 6 in Montreal, when both players collected several points and led their team in ice time as the Canadiens won the game 5-4 in overtime. Hutson got one of his two main assists on Montreal captain Nick Suzuki’s overtime goal.
Among defensemen who have played at least one season in the NHL, Hughes ranks second in career points per game (0.94) behind Makar (1.08), with Adam Fox of the New York Rangers (0.85; third) and promising Hutson (0.82; fourth) next on the list. But this season, Hutson is second among defensemen in points (eight in nine games), ahead of Hughes (five in eight games), and leads NHL defensemen in points at even strength (seven; Hughes has one).
