In addition to elite offensive flair, diminutive Canadiens rookie defenceman has shown he can more than hold his own in his own zone.

Montreal Canadiens defender Lane Hutson has been uderestimated his entire career, but he is proving the doubters wrong

There's of course Nick Suzuki and Cole Caulfield's steps forward in assuming their roles as franchise players, both leading the club with 43 and 42 points, respectively. But Hutson is running the defensive corps, averaging 22:42 per night, which gives him a serious edge on Celebrini and Michkov for the campaign's best rookie.

Canadiens defenceman Lane Hutson is having a very impressive rookie season in the NHL. After picking up three assists in Tuesday’s 5-3 road win over the Utah Hockey Club, the 22-year-old Hutson was leading all NHL rookies in scoring with 3-32-35 totals in in 43 games.