The general manager of the American team is also the general manager of the Minnesota Wild. And if Lane Hutson had played on his team, he would have taken him to the Olympics. I would put my hand in the fire. Maybe with an oven mitt, but I'll wear it!
That CEO is Bill Geren. He's far from an idiot, I even like him. But to understand the extent of Hutson's influence, you don't have to just hear about him. You don't have to watch your matches on a screen. You don't have to see just a few matches. You have to see it often to understand.
If you're wondering why the Canadian is ahead of schedule, why the team slipped into the playoffs last year, why the power play is working well, why CH is able to score goals to get back in a few games… the answer is Lane Hutson. This is obvious to me.
Guerin is not the first
I can't blame Bill Guerin. He's not the first to underestimate Lane Hutson.
During the draft, he was favored by 61 players, although he was already too strong. Ultimately, he is the best of the gang.
Some weirdos saw him win the Calder last year. He eventually won by pressing two fingers to his nose.
Many believed that last year he would fizzle out at the end of the season. He was even better.
Many believed that he would hit a wall in the second season. This is even better.
nitro
This is an alien. He plays like no other. He doesn't have a good shot. He doesn't skate that fast. He is not very strong physically. But when he's on the ice, he does what he wants. When the pressure is high, when the match is on the line, it seems to give him nitro. It's even more beautiful to see.
Kent Hughes followed Hutson his entire life. His son played with him. Even Hughes didn't expect Lane to be this good.
That's even more reason to understand Bill Guerin underestimating Hutson.
If you tell me it's because it's too small, it's because you don't watch the games. Or you watch them while playing silly games or playing cat videos on your phone.
As luck would have it, the Wild's Brock Faber was on the team.
Photo by Getty Images via AFP
He is also a young prodigy. I have it in one of my pools. But he's also not a very big guy who produces half as much offensively as Hutson.
You can tell me Brock Faber blocks a lot of shots! Yes, 2, 3 per match. Hutson is 1.5. “Big deal!”
You will tell me that Hutson is committing too many turnovers.
Let me tell you, he does less than Faber, Seth Jones, Zach Werenski and Quinn Hughes. And it's almost the same as Jake Sanderson and Noah Hanifin. All these beautiful people are part of the American team.
But more than that, Hutson has more points than the entire gang except Werenski.
What else?
Are you going to tell me that defensively Hutson is very ordinary?
He's one of the best in the league at recovering loose pucks, fighting for pucks and rebounding one-on-one balls. He is among the cream of the crop in breaking into opponent's zones. And he manages to hold the puck for about a minute per game. He still ranks in the top three in that category in the entire league. Thanks Sportlogiq.
What more do you want?
Statistically, Lane Hutson deserves a spot on this team. But he could walk on water, and some would say it was déjà vu.
Zach Werenski, Charlie McAvoy, Jakob Slavin, Jake Sanderson have their place. Quinn Hughes is incredible. It's sort of like a Hutson that's faster and a better shooter. But statistically, Hutson is easily superior defensively. Noah Hanifin, Seth Jones and Brock Faber are all very good, but I think the Americans would be better off if they had Hutson's influence but still have enough guys who can play shorthanded.
In short, we'll see. I'm very sorry for the Americans. I'll be in Milan. Canada benefits from this decision.
– Using MoneyPuck data
