Pat Hickey: Canadiens fans eagerly wait for Lane Hutson’s team to lose

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Fans of the Boston University hockey team are rooting for the Terriers to win two regional playoff games this weekend in Sioux Falls and reach the Frozen Four next month in St. Paul.

Montreal hockey fans hope BU loses one of the regional games.

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The tug of war between the two fan bases has to do with BU’s star defenseman Lane Hutson. Canadiens fans are hoping for an early exit from the NCAA championship because that would mean an early arrival for Hutson in Montreal.

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Hutson has captured the imagination of Canadiens fans since being selected in the second round (62nd overall) in 2022. He was a star with the US National Development Team, but fell in the draft due to his size. He was 5-foot-8 and 152 pounds when the Canadiens drafted him. He is currently listed as 5-foot-10 and 162 pounds.

Hutson’s skill and vision have fans salivating at the thought of him quarterbacking the power play, but he has yet to prove he can handle any guy named Tkachuk in front of the box. He can look Norris Trophy contenders like Cale Makar and Quinn Hughes in the face, but he gives away £20 to each of them.

It is a given that Hutson will forgo his final two years of college eligibility to sign with the Canadiens when his season ends. It’s a chance for both sides to get to know each other so Hutson will feel more comfortable when he attends his first NHL training camp in September. As an added bonus, Hutson will spend the first year of his initial contract, putting him one year closer to eventual free agency.

Ideally, the test drive should be as long as possible and that’s where playoff results become a factor. If BU loses one of the games this weekend, Hutson could be practicing with the Canadiens early next week and there is a chance he could play in up to nine NHL games.

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But the Terriers are the favorites to come out of the Sioux Falls region. They are ranked No. 2 in the nation behind rival Boston College and if form holds up, there will be a significant delay in Hutson’s availability.

Because the NCAA does not want a conflict with basketball’s Final Four, there is a two-week gap between the regionals and the Frozen Four, which are scheduled for April 11-13. That means Hutson would be limited to Montreal’s final two games. of the season, a home-and-home series against Detroit on April 15-16.

The other types: Hutson is one of the Canadiens’ six prospects in the NCAA tournament and the only other player with a pro contract pending is BU teammate Luke Tuch. Tuch, a second-round pick in 2020, was Hockey East’s player of the week in the final week of the regular season, but that was the highlight of a season in which he racked up nine goals and 28 points in 36 games. The Canadiens have until August 1 to sign Tuch, who could be a two-way depth player in Laval.

Boston College earned the No. 1 ranking thanks to a 3-1 record in head-to-head meetings with BU. One of the keys to the Eagles’ success was rookie goalie Jacob Fowler, who was drafted by the Habs in the third round last June. Fowler, who stopped 34 shots in a 6-2 win over BU in last weekend’s Hockey East final, is one of 10 semifinalists for the Mike Richter Award, given to the top goaltender in U.S. college hockey. .

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Freshman Sam Harris is the left winger on third-ranked Denver’s top line. Selected in the fifth round of the 2022 draft, he scored 13 goals and seven assists with a plus-13 rating.

Rhett Pitlick, a 2019 fifth-round pick, is eighth-ranked Minnesota’s leading scorer with 19 goals and 35 points. Sophomore Luke Mittlestadt, a seventh-round pick last June, is a second-pairing defenseman for the Gophers. He has two goals, 17 assists and a plus-13 rating.

Allen gives hope to demons: Goalie Jake Allen is one of the reasons the New Jersey Devils are still alive in the Eastern Conference playoff race.

Allen, who went from the Canadiens to the Devils at the trade deadline, made 42 saves, including 25 in the first period, to lead the Devils to a 6-3 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday.

Entering Friday night’s game in Buffalo, Allen had a 4-2-0 record in New Jersey with a .925 save percentage and a 2.51 goals-against average.

Allen is not a rental (he has one year left on the contract he signed with Montreal) and his performance to date should give him a prime track for the number one spot next fall.

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