HOW AN OILERS TRADE UNKNOWINGLY BUILT MONTREAL’S FUTURE: Brett Kulak Deal Paved the Way for Canadiens to Draft Calder Trophy Sensation Lane Hutson

In the world of hockey, trades are often judged by immediate results—who won, who lost, and which team got the better player in the short term. But every so often, a seemingly routine move made at the trade deadline quietly reshapes a franchise’s destiny years down the road. That’s exactly what happened when the Edmonton Oilers traded defenseman Brett Kulak to the Montreal Canadiens in March of 2022. At the time, it looked like a classic depth deal, a playoff-bound team shoring up its blue line by parting with a draft pick. What no one could have predicted was that this minor transaction would eventually help Montreal land one of the most exciting young defensemen in hockey—Lane Hutson, the 2025 Calder Trophy winner and a cornerstone of the Canadiens’ future.

When Edmonton dealt Kulak to the Canadiens, the return was a conditional second-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft. For the Oilers, Kulak provided immediate help, bringing a steady presence on the back end as the team tried to make a push toward playoff relevance. He wasn’t flashy, but he filled a need. On the surface, it was a classic win-now move for a team hungry for postseason success. For Montreal, though, the deal offered something less tangible: a chance to plant seeds for the future. That conditional second-rounder turned out to be one of the most consequential draft selections in recent memory. With it, the Canadiens selected Lane Hutson, a 5-foot-9 dynamo whose combination of elite offensive instincts and rapidly maturing defensive game has made him one of the NHL’s rising stars.

Hutson was considered a bit of a gamble at the time. Despite jaw-dropping production at the U.S. National Team Development Program, many teams were wary of his size. The NHL, though evolving, still prizes physicality, and Hutson’s diminutive frame led to him slipping out of the first round. But Montreal’s scouts saw something others didn’t. They saw vision. They saw skating. They saw hockey IQ that couldn’t be taught. And they took a chance. That chance has paid off in spectacular fashion.

Since being drafted, Hutson’s development has been meteoric. He dominated at Boston University, where he racked up accolades and shattered records for defensemen, all while showing that size was no barrier to his impact on the game. By the time he turned pro, the league was already buzzing about his potential. Still, few expected him to step into the NHL and immediately become a difference-maker. Yet that’s exactly what he did. In his rookie season, Hutson didn’t just survive—he thrived, earning top-pairing minutes, quarterbacking the power play, and providing a nightly jolt of creativity and poise from the back end. His production was eye-opening, his presence undeniable. The Calder Trophy wasn’t just deserved—it felt inevitable.

What makes this all the more fascinating is the indirect role Edmonton played in Montreal’s good fortune. The Oilers, in trying to bolster their chances for a deep playoff run, inadvertently handed the Canadiens a ticket to long-term success. It’s the kind of twist that only hindsight can fully appreciate. Edmonton was doing what contenders do—trading futures for immediate help. But in doing so, they set in motion a chain of events that delivered Lane Hutson to Montreal, where he’s now anchoring a blue line that looks poised to return the Canadiens to prominence.

Montreal’s front office deserves credit for making the pick, but they also benefited from a broader shift in philosophy. Under general manager Kent Hughes, the Canadiens have embraced a more modern view of player evaluation, one that places a premium on skill, mobility, and hockey sense over traditional metrics like size and grit. That approach made them more willing to bet on a player like Hutson, whose upside was through the roof despite his physical limitations. In many ways, Hutson embodies the new-era defenseman—an agile, puck-moving catalyst who thinks the game at a different level and isn’t afraid to take chances. That he has also improved defensively, showing a tenacity and positioning that defy his stature, makes him all the more special.

The irony for Edmonton is that while Kulak has been a solid contributor, his impact has understandably waned with time. He filled a role, did his job, but hasn’t become a central figure for the Oilers. Meanwhile, the asset they gave up has blossomed into a franchise player for a team with Stanley Cup aspirations of its own. It’s a trade that, in retrospect, tells a story about patience, vision, and the unpredictability of hockey’s developmental pathways. The Oilers couldn’t have known what that second-round pick would become. But for Montreal, it became a lifeline—a chance to accelerate their rebuild around a player who could anchor the blue line for the next decade.

Lane Hutson’s story is also one of personal resilience and redefinition. Doubts about his size were persistent throughout his youth. Coaches questioned whether he could handle the physical grind of the NHL. Scouts wondered if he’d be bullied in the defensive zone. Hutson responded with performance. He adapted, he trained, he studied, and he pushed his game to new heights. That work ethic, coupled with a relentless competitive fire, helped him not just to make the NHL, but to excel in it. It also helped redefine what teams now look for in a defenseman. Suddenly, smaller defensemen aren’t just tolerated—they’re valued, if they have the tools Hutson possesses.

Now, as Montreal builds around a core that includes Hutson, captain Nick Suzuki, sniper Cole Caufield, and goaltending prospect Jacob Fowler, the team’s future looks far brighter than it did just a few short years ago. The Canadiens, once mired in mediocrity, have become one of the most exciting young teams in the NHL. Hutson isn’t just a part of that transformation—he’s a catalyst for it. His ability to turn defense into offense, to shift the momentum of a game with a single breakout pass or end-to-end rush, has given Montreal a new identity. They’re fast, they’re skilled, and they’re fearless—just like Hutson himself.

The lessons from this story resonate beyond Montreal and Edmonton. They speak to the value of long-term planning, the importance of scouting, and the ever-changing nature of what success looks like in the NHL. They also highlight how trades, often viewed in binary terms—win or lose—can have ramifications that stretch far beyond the immediate context. Edmonton may not regret acquiring Kulak, but there’s no question that the trade altered the trajectory of two franchises in very different ways.

For the Canadiens, Lane Hutson is more than just a draft steal. He’s a symbol of a franchise reborn, of risks taken and rewarded, and of the kind of player who can define an era. And to think—it all started with a deadline trade that barely registered on the league’s radar. The Edmonton Oilers were focused on their present. The Montreal Canadiens were building for a future they could only imagine. Thanks to that fateful pick, that future is now, and it looks as bright as ever.

As Hutson continues to evolve, so too will the narrative around that 2022 trade. What once looked like a footnote in a season of playoff aspirations will be remembered as a foundational moment for the Canadiens. And for Lane Hutson, it will always be a reminder of how opportunity can come from the unlikeliest places—how one team’s move for short-term gain can open the door to another’s long-term greatness. For fans in Montreal, the name Brett Kulak might one day be spoken with gratitude—not for what he did on the ice for the Canadiens, but for what his departure ultimately brought them: a game-changing, franchise-defining, Calder-winning superstar named Lane Hutson.