When the U.S. team was selected for the 4 Nations Confrontation, many Canadiens fans were disappointed not to see Cole Caufield’s name on the list.
The good news is that his name is finally on NHL.com’s projected roster for the upcoming Olympics.
Except that last season, a young American proved his worth in Montreal. We’re talking about defenseman Lane Hutson, who doesn’t see his name on this list.
It’s just a prediction list months before the official U.S. selection, but it’s a bit of an insult to the Canadiens’ defenseman, who’s coming off a fantastic season.
Eight defensemen were chosen before him for this list.
- Brock Faber
- Quinn Hughes
- Seth Jones
- Charlie McAvoy
- Brett Pesce
- Jake Sanderson
- Jaccob Slavin
- Zach Werenski
Hutson obviously has plenty of competition ahead of him with so many talented defensemen in the U.S., but based on Norris Trophy votes from last campaign, Hutson was ahead of many of the defensemen on this list.
In his rookie season, the Canadiens’ defenseman finished fourth among Americans in Norris Trophy voting.
The only three American players to overtake him were Hughes, Werenski and Slavin. All the others were behind him in the voting!
Understandably, the U.S. would like more physical defensemen on their team following Adam Fox’s fiasco at the 4 Nations Confrontation, but there’s definitely a place somewhere for Hutson in this lineup.
The decision not to select Caufield could always be justified by the fact that he is a small offensive player and would have difficulty standing out on the last two trios of the American formation, but Hutson has proved that he can work both ways of the rink despite his small size.
Lane Hutson should be given a few weeks at the start of the next campaign to prove to the U.S. coaches that he belongs with the national team, even though he is a small, young player.
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