Connect with us

Golden Knights Analysis

Ben Hutton Was A Pleasant Surprise For The Golden Knights

Published

on

Ben Hutton - Vegas Golden Knights (Photo- Sammi Silber- Washington Hockey Now)

Welcome back to Vegas Hockey Now’s season in review series where we look at every player on the Vegas Golden Knights and their 2021-22 season from Michael Amadio to Zach Whitecloud.

You can catch up on the series here: Michael AmadioReilly SmithJonas RondbjergKeegan KolesarRobin LehnerAlex Pietrangelo, Nolan PatrickShea TheodoreJake LeschyshynMark StoneMax PaciorettyLaurent BrossoitMattias JanmarkWilliam CarrierJack EichelNicolas Roy, Chandler Stephenson. and Jonathan Marchessault.

Today’s player is Ben Hutton.

BEN HUTTON

Ben Hutton Vegas Golden Knights official 2021-22 headshot

Stats: 58 GP 3-10-13 PTS
Contract: Two years left at $850k
Games Missed: 24*
Status: Healthy
VHN’s Grade: B+

Overall Thoughts

Ben Hutton was not meant to be much for the Vegas Golden Knights. Because of injuries to Alec Martinez and Zach Whitecloud, general manager Kelly McCrimmon needed to patch a hole in his team’s defense early in the season. He resorted to signing leftover free agent defenseman Ben Hutton to a one-year deal. But ‘Barbie Girl Ben‘ was far greater than your average depth defenseman.

Hutton put up a respectable 13 points in 58 games, was sixth on the team in blocked shots, and played an overall solid game for the VGK. Even with defenseman coming back into the lineup after injuries, Hutton kept a roster spot, even playing top minutes paired alongside Alex Pietrangelo.

He didn’t set the world on fire or anything, but Hutton proved to be a solid pickup for the VGK. On March 5th, the 29-year-old Hutton signed a two-year extension with the Golden Knights. With Hutton as a proven NHL defenseman, he gives the Golden Knights more options on the blue line in 2022-23.

Highlights

In his first game with the Golden Knights, Hutton made an impact and dropped the gloves against his former team. He fought Jason Dickinson in the third period of a game against the Vancouver Canucks.

Against the Anaheim Ducks, Hutton scored his 100th career point with a slick wrist shot from the point.

Hutton is one of the few Golden Knights players who never had the pleasure of playing with Marc-Andre Fleury. This didn’t stop him from scoring on the VGK’s first-ever fan-favorite goaltender in Janurary.

As a defensive defenseman, Hutton only scored a trio of goals in 2021-22. But fittingly one of his goals came the same weekend where he signed his extension with the Golden Knights in March.

What’s Next?

With an $850k cap hit for the next two seasons, Hutton is flexible to move up and down the lineup for the Golden Knights. He’s a swiss-army knife defenseman and the type of player every team should have as he can play top minutes and also be the team’s seventh defenseman if needed.

Injuries ravaged the Golden Knight’s defense in 2021-22 but with the same group looking to be back in 2022-23, the hockey world will get to see how deep this team’s blue line is. With Pietrangelo, Shea Theodore, and Alec Martinez leading the way, the VGK have Nicolas Hague, Zach Whitecloud, and Dylan Coghlan as up-and-coming young D, and Hutton and Brayden McNabb as veteran defensive D-men.