2026 Olympics: “It’s not even certain that Lane Hutson would be considered in the event of an injury.”

Félix Forget
2026 Olympics: “It’s not even certain that Lane Hutson would be considered in the event of an injury.”
Credit: Getty Images

Over the past few hours, there has been a lot of talk about the 2026 Olympic Games. The announcement of Canada's roster, which includes Nick Suzuki, has been the talk of the town for many reasons.

Of these, the big omissions, which include youngsters Matthew Schaefer and Connor Bedard, are an important one. They're definitely not the only ones (Noah Dobson is also one of them), but they're names that have caught the eye.

And now we turn our attention to the other formations, which will also be announced shortly. Reminder: all line-ups were due today, but not all will be announced by the end of the day.

Of the lot, the U.S.A. line-up is attracting a lot of attention, as Cole Caufield and Lane Hutson are both candidates. However, it is becoming increasingly clear that they will not be part of the line-up to be announced on Friday.

And in a piece for Sportsnet, Eric Engels talked about these guys and what's in store for them… and in Hutson's case, it's enough to make you sit up and take notice:

It's not even certain that Lane Hutson would be considered if one or two U.S. defensemen were injured. – Eric Engels

Hutson, who leads all NHL defensemen in assists this season, wouldn't be one of the top-10 U.S. defensemen, according to officials. Because, after all, they'll be naming eight on Friday: if he's not seen as a backup in the event of two injuries, then he's not in the top-10.

One wonders whether all this would change in the event of Quinn Hughes suffering an injury over the next month. But then again, Adam Fox doesn't seem to be on track to be one of the eight defensemen announced on Friday: you'd think he'd be preferred to Hutson.

That said, there are still positives in town: according to Engels, Oliver Kapanen has likely earned a spot with Finland, and he would have gotten one even if Aleksander Barkov and Patrik Laine had been healthy.

And in Caufield's case, he would be one of the players considered in the event of a forward injury. That said, he is unlikely to be part of the line-up to be announced on Friday.

ESPN's Emily Kaplan didn't name him among the players added to the U.S. roster since the 4 Nations Confrontation, at least.

As things stand, then, the Habs are likely to have four players at the Olympics (Juraj Slafkovský, Nick Suzuki, Oliver Kapanen, and Alexandre Texier), and Jakub Dobes could also make the Czech squad. Patrik Laine, if healthy, is also a name to watch for Finland.

But barring injury, Caufield will spend February at home… and obviously, Hutson doesn't even need to keep an eye on injuries: he can already plan a vacation.


Overtime

– That's pretty good.

– Even so!

– Trade in Pennsylvania.

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