Having bunked for a stretch of weeks alongside Pierre-Luc Dubois, the seasoned Washington pivot, Cole Hutson plans to move out and room with a teammate nearer to his own generation.
Speaking at the Capitals' Breakdown Day, Dubois indicated that, at least for the moment, the intention is for Hutson to set up house with Leonard during the upcoming year. He added that because the youngster handles himself well at the stove, he might pass along a few cooking pointers to his future roommate.
Back in March, Dubois had opened up his residence to Hutson — mirroring the setup he'd run a year prior with Ryan Leonard — after the young blueliner finished his sophomore campaign with Boston University's program and inked an entry-level pact spanning three years in Washington.
Reflecting on having Hutson around, Dubois described him as exceptionally kind, courteous, and well-mannered.
Dubois went on to say that Hutson runs a bit reserved, though the family has been steadily getting better acquainted with him by the day. He mentioned meeting Hutson's relatives and finding them lovely as well, called the whole experience genuinely enjoyable, and noted that his wife's fondness for the young player made everything that much smoother.
By Dubois' account, what Hutson could do in the kitchen far outpaced anything Leonard managed.
Dubois remarked that it really wasn't difficult, pointing out that Leonard contributed nothing while Hutson, rather than sticking to the agreed-upon plan of starting with cereal, whipped up pasta for them — putting him well ahead of the curve.
Hutson, who looks every bit like a budding star, struck a notably modest tone in fielding a question about possibly sharing a place with a close friend next season.
Hutson said the group would have to watch how the campaign played out, but that he'd embrace the idea. He recalled that Leonard had raised it a couple of weeks earlier, to which he'd answered that cracking the roster had to come first, while making clear he was hardly against the arrangement.
The bond linking the two players runs deep and stretches back years. As teenagers, the pair first crossed paths while skating together at USA Hockey's NTDP, the country's vaunted development pipeline, then went on to wear the same national jersey at the World Juniors. Even after becoming foes at competing colleges — Boston University against Boston College — the two maintained regular contact while suiting up across separate leagues.
Hutson explained that he and Leonard texted nearly every single day, describing them as quite tight away from the rink and saying they would consistently check in with one another to talk through everyday life and whatever else.
In fact, Leonard turned out to be the earliest to contact Hutson once the contract was official, and the two hung out through Hutson's debut afternoon down in DC. When they weren't at the rink, the pair regularly partnered up for rounds of Fortnite.
Their connection is tight enough that the duo even filmed a joint coffee review on TikTok during a trip to Salt Lake City. Hutson also mentioned that, should an invite arrive, he'd consider representing the Americans at the World Championship slated for 2026.
Hutson said that if Ryan was taking part, he would absolutely be receptive to joining.
Back in his younger days, Tom Wilson notably bunked with a bash-brother running mate in Michael Latta, and then with Burakovsky's Andre — a crew that ended up tagged with the "brobeans" nickname.
Throughout the stretch that Wilson lived with Latta, the duo went viral thanks to an episode that aired in December 2014 within the league's behind-the-scenes docuseries that follows clubs heading into the Winter Classic. In it, the pair flaunted a nearly bare refrigerator while bragging about a three-for-one ketchup steal they'd nabbed at Costco.
Image credit: the 24/7 series tracking clubs ahead of the Winter Classic
Looking back on that scene more than a decade later, Wilson cracked that perhaps the pair ought to bring aboard a chef so the refrigerator would stay full.
He then dispensed some genuine guidance.
Wilson called those terrific years, returning to a point he'd raised earlier about the value of simply being young and savoring it. He observed that an NHLer in his late teens or early twenties carries virtually no obligations beyond delivering on the ice, so the moment is worth relishing, since there's ample opportunity down the road to mature and run after one's own kids. He figured the two would have a great time living together, said everyone would have to look out for the pair so they took care of themselves, kept food in the fridge, and steered clear of too much gaming, but concluded they were solid kids who'd turn out fine.
On the gaming front, Leonard himself has vowed to cut back on screen time over the summer — though not because wrapping up his first complete NHL season has suddenly made him fully grown.
Leonard told the media he likely wouldn't be gaming much, explaining that the Xbox usually gets powered down for the summer because the season belongs to golf.