In the end, Montreal Canadiens defenseman Lane Hutson not only arguably defied the odds to become an NHL regular in 2024-25, overcoming a perceived lack of roster space. He obviously also went on to win the Calder Memorial Trophy in impressive fashion, to help put an exclamation mark on a stand-out season for the Habs from overall and individual-accolades standpoints.
Related: Likeliest Canadiens to Win NHL Awards in 2024-25
Head coach Martin St. Louis also got named a finalist for the Jack Adams Award, which ultimately went to Spencer Carbery of the Washington Capitals as the league’s best bench boss. It should be of little surprise both make this list of the likeliest Canadiens to win NHL awards next season, then… a separate one entirely in Hutson’s case:
5) Cole Caufield (Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy)
Singled out as a potential top-20 winger this season by NHL.com (along with linemate Juraj Slafkovsky), Cole Caufield scored a career-high 37 goals in 2024-25 to rank 13th in the entire league. A Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy win is still probably a longshot, with Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl capturing it as the league’s top goal scorer with 52 last season. Further statistical progression from Caufield isn’t though, as he’s increased his production every year. At the very least, he should give the team its first 40-goal scorer since Vincent Damphousse in 1993-94.
4) Kirby Dach (Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy)
Kirby Dach doesn’t need a great season to receive consideration for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, which is awarded to the player who best exemplifies characteristics like perseverance and dedication to the sport… just a complete one. After a second straight season-ending knee injury, you’d have to believe the chances he develops into the second-line centre the Canadiens thought they were acquiring in 2022 have dropped dramatically.
So, it stands to reason, if Dach, who has never played a full season in the NHL, rebounds from a health standpoint and at least quasi-statistically, he’d be a near shoo-in here. To recount his recent struggles, Dach displayed significant potential in 2022-23 after first being acquired by the Canadiens at the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. He scored 38 points in 58 games in his Age 22 season, getting some reps down the middle with Sean Monahan injured (before succumbing to injury himself). He earned the second-line centre spot out of training camp the next season only to suffer a knee injury two games in, to miss the rest of the campaign. Coming back last season, he failed to find the same groove he had previously displayed, scoring just 22 points in 57 games, before he suffered an injury to the same knee.
It’s gotten to the point where the Canadiens arguably can’t count on Dach being their No. 2 centre, although they can’t completely rule out the possibility. While it would be nice were he to realize the potential he displayed a few seasons ago, the Habs need to take steps to find someone to replace him, whether it’s internally or via trade or free agency (even if it all works out with Dach in the end). That would be ideal, just not the likeliest scenario.
3) Lane Hutson (James Norris Memorial Trophy)
It’s not as crazy as it sounds. A few years after debuting, P.K. Subban won the Norris Trophy as the league’s best defenseman in 2012-13, the last time a Canadiens player captured it. Subban would go on to be named a finalist for the award a few other times in his career. While it’s hard to say if Hutson will end up as successful as him overall, he’s found more success sooner, making his debut earlier at Age 19 (instead of 20), and breaking out to a significantly greater extent the next season (to capture the Calder).
Montreal Canadiens defenseman Lane Hutson – (Jess Starr/The Hockey Writers)
Subban finished sixth in his rookie season, for the record. So, while he was a difference-maker off the bat, it’s simply hard to say he was as much of one as Hutson, considering the list of the latter’s accolades. The headline is this: Hutson finished in a tie for sixth in scoring among ALL defenseman last season. While that’s a lot of opponents with whom he’d have to compete to win the award in question, he’s proven capable of being in the mix.
2) Martin St. Louis (Jack Adams Award)
That’s all the Canadiens anticipated heading into 2024-25, to “be in the mix.” The playoffs may have been a possibility, but far from a realistic one. The fact that they ended up making them in the end is probably the reason why St. Louis received as much consideration as he did to be named coach of the year. What does he have in store for an encore?
It’s entirely possible St. Louis no longer has a shot to shoot. Take out the surprise element of the Canadiens making the playoffs after finishing fifth from last the previous season and he’ll probably end up just another head coach of a team that reaches the postseason (16 total). That simply won’t play as well in the minds of voters (broadcasters).
Nevertheless, barring a significant string of injuries, the Habs are poised to improve significantly for the fourth-straight season. It stands to reason so is St. Louis from a coaching standpoint. Just as this is an incredibly young team rife with talent just finding its way, St. Louis has probably a lot more to learn himself, this being his first stint coaching in the league. What he and the Canadiens continue to do is nothing short of impressive. It remains to be seen to what degree.
1) Ivan Demidov (Calder Memorial Trophy)
There are obviously no guarantees, but, heading into 2025-26, Canadiens fans have got to like the chances of the Habs capturing a second-straight Calder. After all, Ivan Demidov is the odds-on favourite, based on a variety of factors, including the impact he made right away upon debuting late last season and, far from least of all, his sheer talent as a one-time fifth-overall pick and projected superstar talent.
Canadiens fans have seen this story unfold before (to a degree with Hutson, obviously). However, Caufield was much more of a favourite for the 2022 edition of the award. Under Dominique Ducharme, he simply didn’t put up the numbers he needed to, though. It took the mid-season coaching change to St. Louis for him to gain traction, scoring 35 points (22 goals) in his last 37 games of the season under him (finishing with 43 points overall in 63 games).
So, it’s entirely possible Demidov struggles to adjust, although St. Louis being behind the bench instead of Ducharme is probably seen as a factor in his favour. Even if Demidov doesn’t catch on right away though, as Caufield has proven, the Calder isn’t the be-all and end-all. These awards are nice-to-haves, but, at the end of the day, it’s more so how the team performs as a whole that really matters… and a team with Caufield AND Demidov, realistically on two different lines, is what should really get fans pumped at the chances of an eventual Stanley Cup. And that’s not even getting into how the team as a whole looks. Awards or no awards, the 2025-26 season is shaping up to be even better than the last.
