With the announcement of the Team USA Olympic roster, there has obviously been a lot said about Lane Hutson and Cole Caufield being left off the roster. While Team USA has several incredible players and have a very good chance of going to the Gold Medal game, the omission of these two players is mind boggling. I won’t disparage players who made the team as it won’t do any good and they should be able to enjoy their inclusion without being insulted online. However, here are the reasons both players should absolutely be on the team.
Lane Hutson
Since his rookie season last year, Lane Hutson has been phenomenal. He can take control of shifts and games in the offensive zone, and while he is not the biggest player in the defensive zone, he positions himself intelligently, has a good stick and makes perfect breakout plays. I know some people will say having Quinn Hughes makes the inclusion of Hutson obsolete, I disagree. Hutson is a great puck possession play, so regardless of offence, if your team always has the puck, it's less likely to end up in your own net. Having a one-two punch of Hutson and Hughes would be nothing short of pure puck possession dominance. He does not need to play the PP, all he needs to do is play his game and team USA will always have the puck, often in high danger offensive chances. Furthermore, Hutson is breaking records left and right as his career advances, so I don’t get how this does not make him a shoe in for the team.
Cole Caufield
When he finally had a real coach in Martin St-Louis, Caufield emerged as one of the best snipers in the league. However, the last two seasons, he’s also greatly improved his defensive game, board play in the offensive zone and has shown tremendous hands decking out defencemen to score highlight reel goals in clutch situations. He’s broken the Habs record for most overtime goals and is a proven playoff performer with 16 points in 25 games. This guy is clutch, has one of the most accurate shots and genuinely loves playing and coming to the rink. Also, while not being the biggest player, he plays without fear, does not hide in the perimeter and is willing to take a hit to make a play. This is exactly the type of player you want in the high pressure format of the Olympic games.
At the end of the day, Team USA may very well win the Gold medal with their squad, but to me, it does not mean that not having these two players on the team was the right move. Much like Team Canada who won the Four Nations, I thought the exclusions of Suzuki and Schiefele (and Olympics…what????) was insane despite the win.
What do you all think?