The Canadiens already have an eight-part docuseries that started on Crave this month titled The Rebuild: Inside the Montreal Canadiens.
They should start another one this season titled Partners: The Dave and Lane Show.
The cameras could follow David Savard and Lane Hutson both on and off the ice. The series would be entertaining and funny.
Savard and Hutson were partners on defence for the Canadiens’ first pre-season game Monday night, a 5-0 win over the Philadelphia Flyers at the Bell Centre. They were also partners for the final two games last season when Hutson made his NHL debut after two fantastic seasons at Boston University and you can expect them to be partners when the Canadiens open the regular season on Oct. 9 at the Bell Centre against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
There’s a saying that opposites attract and Savard and Hutson are another example.
The 33-year-old Savard is a 6-foot-1, 235-pound mountain of man heading into his 14th NHL season as a defensive defenceman. The 20-year-old Hutson is a 5-foot-10, 162-pounder who has been an offensive highlight reel every time he has stepped on the ice since training camp started last week.
They look like a perfect fit as defence partners.
“He definitely helps a lot,” Hutson said after Monday’s morning skate in Brossard before logging 21:19 of ice time against the Flyers, picking up an assist and being named the game’s first star. “We’re different players and I know he’s always going to be there for me to support me, have my back, and kind of let me do my thing.”
Hutson also noted that Savard’s offensive skills are underrated.
“He’s got great offensive sense,” Hutson said. “He knows where to be. He knows where not to be. He makes a good first pass. He extends plays. It’s really easy for me to play with him, but also the forwards that we’re out with. He’s got an underrated offensive touch.”
Savard showed that touch — which has earned him the nickname “Big Play Dave” from his teammates — against the Flyers when he scored the second goal of the game with Hutson picking up an assist.
“It was actually funny,” Hutson said after the game. “I was telling him after he scored: ‘I told everyone that you have some untapped offensive abilities.’ And he said: ‘Yeah, it’s simple but it’s definitely there.’ I said: ‘Yeah.’ And then I ended up getting a pretty good chance (later in the game) and I was like: ‘Yeah, I don’t have your touch. Maybe I can learn.’ It was pretty funny.”
Like I said, these two need their own TV series.
“You need guys like this,” Savard said when asked about Hutson. “You see all the best teams, they bring guys that want the puck, want to make a difference. I think he’s that kind of player. He came in with full confidence and I think he’s making really good reads, too. There’s no bad turnovers or anything coming from him. It always makes sense — even if it doesn’t make sense in my head.”
It didn’t make sense in Savard’s head during a scrimmage Saturday when Hutson made a high flip pass from his own zone that sent Emil Heineman in alone on a breakaway before being stopped by goalie Cayden Primeau.
“That vision to see that that quickly and to have that skill to make that sauce is pretty incredible,” Savard said about Hutson’s flip pass. “Not something I would try, but it’s fun to watch. It’s fun for us to see and to be on the same team and I think it’s going to be fun for the forwards, too, because he’s going to find them in some spots that I can’t find them.”
When asked if he practises that flip pass, Hutson grinned and said: “No. Definitely not.”
“It just happens in the moment,” he added. “I don’t really think about throwing a pass that high very often. But sometimes it just happens.”
That’s part of the beauty of Hutson’s game. He’s like a kid on the outdoor rink playing shinny.
While Big Play Dave doesn’t have Hutson’s offensive skills, the young defenceman said he can still learn a lot from his veteran partner.
“He’s everything you want as a pro hockey player,” Hutson said about Savard. “I’ve seen the way he does things, the way he takes care of the puck, makes smart plays. He really has that simplicity to his game, which is something I need in my game as well.
“He’s already helped me so much just understanding the systems, but also understanding certain situations on the ice,” Hutson added. “When to get pucks in or when to advance it or when to hold on to it. He’s been great and I look forward to learning more from him.”
The Dave and Lane Show should be fun to watch this season even if they don’t make a docuseries.