Cole Hutson doesn't need to become another Alex Ovechkin. He just needs to make Ovechkin more dangerous, and that's already starting to show.
The young Washington Capitals defenseman has played 14 games last season, posting 3 goals and 7 assists for 10 points.
He's not a defenseman who parks himself at the point waiting for a clean lane to fire a slap shot.
Hutson wants to move. He wants to get his feet going, manipulate the defender, attack space, and force that defender to commit.
Then he finds the guy with the better look. That's the part of his game that actually matters on a power play built around a shooter.
And it isn't just theory. Hutson got first-unit power play time in his NHL debut, ahead of Jakob Chychrun.
This is truly incredible and says a lot about the kid.
Chychrun posted 60 points in 80 games this season with 8 power play goals, an established veteran who's owned that role for years.
Capitals already fast-tracking their young talent
Washington has already looked at this idea in a real game, not just on paper.
Giving Hutson a genuine look in training camp this fall feels like the natural next step after what happened late last season.
Hutson came into the NHL and immediately showed the puck didn't scare him. Zero nerves, even in his first game.
The same thing can be said about Ilya Protas, another young player who looked ready for the NHL well before anyone expected it.
Washington finished the season 43-30-9 for 95 points, 12th overall, under head coach Spencer Carbery.
Ovechkin, at 40, still put up 32 goals and 64 points last season. A player like Hutson next to him on the power play could genuinely stretch out that scoring window.
Whether camp confirms what the tail end of last season hinted at, or Chychrun just walks back into his old spot like nothing happened, is the real question heading into October.
Should Cole Hutson take the first-unit power play job away from Chychrun?
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