Cole Hutson, a 20-year-old left-shot defenseman for the Washington Capitals, grades as a clear top-quartile defenseman with a 85.7 overall (25th of 327). That makes him the 3rd-highest-rated player on the Washington Capitals roster.

Offensive creation is where he wins, at 97, while defensive impact at 56 is the clear area to improve.

His card history has one rated season so far: 78.9 in 2025-26.

At $952K through 2027-28 before restricted free agency, the model rates the deal Underpaid: his expected value is $8M, so the Washington Capitals save roughly $7.05M a season against his production.

His cap hit is the 17th-largest on the Washington Capitals NHL roster and uses 0.9% of the $104M ceiling; the club currently has $3.25M in cap space.

Component ratings

Career line

Other WSH defensemen by rating: Jakob Chychrun (81.5), Jacob MacDonald (74.7), Rasmus Sandin (72.7), Justin Holl (61). See the full Washington Capitals cap sheet.

How we rate players: each skater's overall is a percentile (0-100) built from offense, defense, play driving, finishing, power-play and penalty-kill impact against players at the same position; goalies are rated on goals saved above expected. Contract value compares the cap hit with the salary the model expects for that level of production, age and position. Figures are updated as new games and signings arrive.