“Getting to play with your hero is something that most people only dream of,” Caufield said. “I was lucky enough to be Johnny’s teammate this past summer and it didn’t take long to realize how great of a person he was. He was the most welcoming, genuine, and funniest guy I have ever met. He was someone everyone gravitated towards and I took every chance I could to be around him. Not only was he an amazing hockey player and teammate, but he was down to earth and truly cared about every person he encountered.”

“I wore #13 at a point in my career because of Johnny and now I will be wearing it again to honor him,” he continued. “He paved the way for smaller players and proved we had a future in this game at the highest level. I will forever be grateful to him for inspiring me and others.” Caufield wore No. 13 while in the U.S. National Development Team Program from 2017 to 2019.

Here’s more on the Canadiens:

• Watch for Lane Hutson to break through the Canadiens’ logjam of young defensemen during training camp, opines NHL.com’s Dan Rosen. The diminutive 20-year-old is a dark horse to make the opening night roster if he can “prove his size won’t be a detriment” when given a long look with the team’s veterans later this month, Rosen writes. Hutson turned pro at the tail end of last season after playing a starring role on Boston University’s blue line for two years, recording two assists in his first two NHL games – both against the Red Wings in April – while averaging nearly 23 minutes per night.
• New Canadiens winger Patrik Laine is also among Rosen’s top candidates for a rebound campaign this year after being significantly affected by injuries in 2023-24, he wrote in the same mailbag. He shares the opinion many others, including Montreal’s front office, has – that the 2016 second-overall pick can return to being a 40-goal threat if given the runway and health. The latter has seemingly been a bit of a curse for the Habs over the past few years, though. They lost nearly 400 man games to injury last season and lost a league-leading 600 in 2022-23, per NHL Injury Viz.

That could prove an easy feat for the pair of Macklin Celebrini and Matvei Michkov – likely the leading favorites as things currently stand. Celebrini was the first overall selection in the 2024 NHL Draft and is coming off a dazzling junior hockey career. After winning both the USHL’s ’Rookie of the Year’ and ’Most Valuable Player’ awards as a 16-year-old in 2022-23, Celebrini became the youngest player to ever win the Hobey Baker Award as college hockey’s top player this season. His prowess is undeniable. He’s a defiantly special playmaker, with all of the tools needed to match top speeds. Celebrini is set for a top-line role with the San Jose Sharks, while Michkov will fight for the same recognition from the Philadelphia Flyers.

Michkov is making the jump to the NHL a year earlier than expected, after being released from his contract with the KHL’s SKA St. Petersburg this summer. He makes the move to North America after proudly leading HK Sochi. Despite playing on a farm club to SKA, Michkov has still managed 61 points in 77 KHL games over the last two seasons. His 41 points in 47 games this year marked the most of any U20 KHL skater since Kaprizov, the record holder, potted 42 points in 49 games in 2017. Where Celebrini is a quick-thinking and quicker-moving playmaker, Michkov is an all-skill scorer, capable of using a mix of incredibly agile skating, great stickhandling, and a knockout shot to embarrass opponents in the offensive end. The sky is the limit for the Russian phenom, who should finally receive proper support after spending the last two seasons on muddling rosters.

Celebrini and Michkov will be challenged for their spot by a long list of high-end forwards, including Will Smith – who could find himself playing second-fiddle to Celebrini in San Jose. Anaheim Ducks center Cutter Gauthier could also break into the conversation – undermining yet another boost to the Flyers’ prospect pool. But of the many contenders, it’s the dynamic duo of Logan Stankoven and Mavrik Bourque who seem most overlooked in early Calder talks.

Stankoven was a lightning bolt in his first taste of the NHL. The first-year pro fought his way to an NHL call-up with a then-league-leading 57 points in his first 47 AHL games. The scoring didn’t stop in Dallas, as Stankoven proceeded to score 14 points in 24 games – the highest scoring pace (0.58) of any first-year Star since Jason Robertson in 2021 (0.88) and John Klingberg in 2015 (0.58). Stankoven was just one game shy of losing rookie eligibility when Dallas’ season ended, though he was quickly slotted back into the lineup during the playoffs – which don’t count against Calder Trophy eligibility. He continued to hone his game in the race for the Stanley Cup, netting eight points in 19 games and earning a routine role in Dallas’ middle-six.

If not Stankoven, then it’ll be his electric centerman Bourque who wins the title for Dallas. The two forwards were unstoppable with the AHL’s Texas Stars last season, playing with a pace and chemistry that opponents simply couldn’t keep up with. Bourque stayed red-hot even after Stankoven’s call-up, ultimately leading the AHL in scoring with 77 points in 71 games and earning the Les Cunningham Award as the league’s MVP. That was despite last season being just the second pro year of Bourque’s career. He was impressive, and found a way to score consistently despite his oft-criticized frame.

Even with all of the acclaim of the aforementioned forwards, the award could still find its way to other hands. Shakir Mukhamadullin in San Jose, Lane Hutson in Montreal, and Olen Zellweger in Anaheim are all prime candidates from the blue-line, while Dustin Wolf in Calgary and Yaroslav Askarov in Nashville stand as favorites in net – though the latter will have to fight his way above Juuse Saros. It seems the Calder Trophy debate could go in one of countless directions when the first puck is finally dropped – but who do you think will win out? Will it be dazzling star prospects Celebrini or Michkov? Will defensive supports overtake the top scorers? Or will a player like Brad Lambert subvert everyone’s expectations? Let us know by voting in the poll below and discussing in the comments!

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2023-24: $855K base salary, $95K signing bonus
2024-25: $855K base salary, $95K signing bonus, $750K Schedule ’A’ performance bonuses
2025-26: $885K base salary, $95K signing bonus, $850K Schedule ’A’ performance bonuses

In a follow-up note, PuckPedia added that the maximum amount of ’A’ cumulative bonuses Hutson can earn on the contract is $1.15MM over the two seasons.

1:26 p.m.: The Canadiens have signed top defense prospect Lane Hutson to an entry-level contract, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports Friday.

The 20-year-old’s sophomore season at Boston University ended yesterday when the Terriers were eliminated in the semifinals of the NCAA national championship, upset 2-1 in overtime by Denver. Hutson won’t make his NHL debut tomorrow against the Senators but could suit up in their two remaining contests against the Red Wings, says Sportsnet’s Eric Engels.

Montreal confirmed it’s a three-year deal beginning immediately for Hutson, meaning he’ll be an RFA upon expiry in 2026. They didn’t disclose financial terms.

Hutson, a left-shot, landed first in the Canadiens prospect pool in Scott Wheeler’s 2024 rankings for The Athletic, continuing a meteoric rise in the diminutive defender’s stock. Many public scouts viewed him as a potential first-round selection in the 2022 draft but slipped all the way to Montreal at 62nd overall, late in the second round, with many clubs scared off by his 5’8″ frame. He’s now listed at 5’10” and 161 lbs nearly two years later.

It’s been an exemplary two years for Hutson at BU. Serving as an alternate captain this season, he led all NCAA blue-liners in scoring with 49 points, tied with 2024 draft-eligible Zeev Buium, who’s now moving on to the national championship game tomorrow with Denver. His 1.29 points per game were solely in first place, making him a Hobey Baker Award nominee for the top collegiate player for a second straight season.

He put up quite similar totals in his freshman campaign, earning him Hockey East All-Star credits in both seasons. His 48 points in 39 games in 2022-23 broke Hall-of-Famer Brian Leetch’s records for the most points by a U-19 defenseman in an NCAA season. The Illinois-born defender has also suited up for Team USA in each of the last two World Junior Championships, winning bronze in 2023 and gold in 2024 while totaling a goal and nine assists across 14 tournament games.

Some concerns remain about his undersized frame and his lack of ability to box out NHL forwards in front of his own net, likely dampening his long-term value only slightly. He’s still a possession monster and an incredibly high-volume shooter with excellent agility and playmaking skills, and he has first-pair upside if partnered with a larger, defensively intelligent blue-liner. Even if he can’t handle those minutes at even strength, he’s a slam dunk to quarterback the Habs’ top power play unit in the near future.

Hutson will likely remain in the NHL next season but will need to unseat other young Montreal defenders like Justin Barron, Jayden Struble, Arber Xhekaj, or the older Johnathan Kovacevic for a roster spot. All are either signed for next season or otherwise under team control.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports.