For the past few games, we’ve seen Noah Dobson playing alongside Lane Hutson on the blue line.
And so far, it’s working.
The two guys complement each other well because they have different qualities. We’re starting to see that Dobson is more reliable defensively than we thought (he’s among the best in the NHL in blocked shots), which allows Hutson to be a little more free offensively.
In fact, the American mentioned today that he loves playing with the right-hander.
Hutson says it’s “easy” to play with Dobson… and that’s a good thing because they’re excellent together. I have a feeling we could see this pair stay together for several years!
Lane Hutson today on being paired with Noah Dobson:
“He’s a really gifted player. Playing with him is pretty easy for me, just trying to put him in positions to shoot the puck and get open myself. It’s been fun to play with him, definitely easy to read off of him for sure.” pic.twitter.com/FHo4u9Mzzy
— /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) February 2, 2026
Speaking of Lane Hutson, Wild head coach John Hynes praised his qualities earlier today.
The Wild coach said it loud and clear: Hutson is a dangerous player on the ice because of his mobility and agility on skates. He sees the Canadiens defenseman as excellent offensively and praised him, saying he can beat anyone on the ice.
That’s probably not something Bill Guerin would have said… hehe. Seriously though, it’s great to see Lane’s talent being recognized across the NHL:
Minnesota Wild coach John Hynes today on Lane Hutson:
“Lane is a great offensive defenseman. He can skate, in the offensive zone he’s very mobile, he can beat you 1v1. He’s gonna run the line, he’s gonna cut back, he’s gonna spin… He’s a very active player.”
“He has the ability… pic.twitter.com/4G7I0LxlYZ
— /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) February 2, 2026
Getting back to the Hutson-Dobson duo…
The Canadiens’ management must be really pleased to see that it’s working so well on the ice. After all, both defensemen are young… and they’ve signed multi-year contracts with the Montreal club.
That said, they will have time to improve together. And that’s what makes it especially interesting when you think about it.
Overtime
– Way to go, Slaf.
The Molson Cup for January goes to Juraj Slafkovsky (8 goals, 8 assists)! https://t.co/rSmKC5ONDW
Juraj Slafkovsky wins the Molson Cup for January with 8 goals and 8 assists last month! https://t.co/YDVJnLBODT#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/fXofGZGS0b
— Montreal Canadiens (@CanadiensMTL) February 2, 2026
– Sick!
Mr. Knuckle Puck himself read out the starting lineup for the Anaheim Ducks last night
(via: @AnaheimDucks) pic.twitter.com/GUsZpCJ0c7
— BarDown (@BarDown) February 2, 2026
– Note:
Sources: Denver’s passing game coordinator Davis Webb has reached agreement to become the Broncos’ offensive coordinator. Webb interviewed for three head coaching jobs during this hiring cycle, had other offensive coordinator opportunities, but opted to remain with the Broncos. pic.twitter.com/pYVZTJPNWD
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 2, 2026
– News in MLB.
It will be unveiled in July. https://t.co/C3U8Dxurb3
— Passion MLB (@passion_mlb) February 2, 2026
