Lane Hutson is one of the United States' top three scorers on defense, and yet he not only got snubbed from the initial Olympic roster but was also not named a replacement for Seth Jones.
He leads all NHL defensemen in assists. He is tied for second in points. And he has a plus-18 rating that has him ranked sixth overall among American-born skaters.
So what more does Lane Hutson have to do to get on the U.S. Olympic team?
It's a question that many Habs fans are probably asking this morning after the Montreal Canadiens defenseman was passed over (yet again) for a Team USA roster spot on Wednesday, with the U.S. instead naming Anaheim's Jackson LaCombe as an injury replacement for Seth Jones.
And in some ways, it's a question that is rhetorical.
This makes no sense. None.
Maybe if Adam Fox was picked ahead of Hutson, you could have argued that the Americans wanted a right-handed shot to replace the right-handed Jones. But like Hutson, LaCombe is also a lefty, which now gives the Americans five left-handed defensemen and only two righties.
Yes, the 6-foot-2 and 208-pound LaCombe, who is closer in size to Jones, is a lot bigger and stronger than Hutson. And yes, he is three years older than the 21-year-old Hutson. But pretty much everyone in the NHL is bigger and stronger and older than Hutson.
Not that it has mattered much.
As the 5-foot-9 and 162-pound Hutson showed in a 4-3 win against Bill Guerin's Minnesota Wild on Tuesday, where Hutson assisted on the game-winning goal, a lack of size and experience really hasn't stopped him from putting himself in the Norris Trophy conversation — both for his offensive game and his overall play.
"We've got to have the conversation. The Lane Hutson conversation," P.K. Subban said in a tweet video on Tuesday. "Up for the Norris Trophy this season? Yes. Cale Makar, Quinn Hughes, throw them all in that conversation. He's in that conversation.
"I'm watching this guy play and the way he impacts the game, the impacts it in all facets — offensively, defensively, with his competitiveness, his drive. This kid is all in. On top of all that, he galvanizes his group."
As a rookie, Hutson won the Calder Trophy and was a big reason why the Canadiens somewhat unexpectedly made the playoffs last year as a wild-card team. This year, he's been a big reason why Montreal has built on that success and is currently in third place in the Atlantic Division.
In just his second season, Hutson leads all NHL defensemen with 43 assists, and he is tied for second among NHL defensemen with 52 points. He is also tied for first among defensemen with 38 points.
LaCombe has 31 points this season, with 21 coming in even-strength situations.
Defensively, Hutson has also improved. Last year, he was a minus-2. This year, he is second on his team with a plus-18 rating. He also has 82 blocked shots. LaCombe, who is a plus-2, has 83 blocked shots.
"You want to talk about the Olympic team? Let's talk about it," Subban continued. "I love every single defenseman that they brought there. I think they picked the right 'D' corps. But I think (Hutson) should be there. How can you not have a player playing this way?
"The way this kid is playing right now, you can't tell me that he doesn't deserve to be there. The Montreal Canadiens are not the same team without this kid on the ice."
Back in October, Guerin, Team USA's GM, hinted that Hutson's age and inexperience might have been the reason why Hutson wasn't even invited to Team USA's selection camp. Further to that, it was LaCombe — not Hutson — who helped the U.S. win gold at last year's World Championship.
"He's a good player, but we only have room for so many players," Guerin told The Hockey News. "I don't know if it's his time right now."
Since being left off the U.S. roster, which was officially announced on Jan. 2, only three other Americans – Jack Eichel, Tage Thompson and Quinn Hughes – have produced more than Hutson, who has 12 points in his last 10 games. LaCombe has eight points in his last nine games, while averaging around less than three minutes in ice time.
Then again, Hutson could probably double those numbers, and it probably wouldn't matter much.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.