Team USA adds new defenseman to Olympics roster, snub Lane Hutson again

Tuesday night felt like a message game, and the Montreal Canadiens played it that way from the first puck battle. They skated Minnesota into mistakes, then let Cole Caufield do the finishing.

Caufield's go ahead one timer at 19:45 of the third made it 4 3, off a Nick Suzuki feed from the right side. Montreal walked out with a 4 3 win and a 28-15-7 record.

Lane Hutson added a goal and an assist, and his strike came from low in the right circle after a clean Ivan Demidov look. Jakub Dobes stopped 16 shots, and the Bell Centre got loud in a hurry.

The Wild pushed back hard on the man advantage, with Vladimir Tarasenko scoring twice on the power play. Still, Montreal never stopped attacking in layers, and that last shift ended it.

Afterward, the Canadiens social team leaned into the moment and tagged Team USA in the game winner clip, basically daring them to notice. With Bill Guerin wearing both hats in Minnesota and for Team USA, fans connected the dots fast.

Then Wednesday brought the official news, Team USA added defenseman Jackson LaCombe to the 2026 Olympic roster, replacing injured Seth Jones. The timing, less than a day after Montreal's win, was too perfect for the internet.

LaCombe is 25, from Eden Prairie, and USA Hockey leaned on his resume, third full NHL season, plus recent gold at the 2025 Men's Worlds. He also won World Juniors gold with the US in 2021.

On the player side, he checks the classic Olympic depth box, left shot, 6 2 frame, steady puck mover, and he's been producing lately with 0 G and 8 A in his last 10 games. Anaheim drafted him in 2019, round 2, 39th overall.

As a Habs watcher, you can feel the fanbase smirking, like this was a compliment, and also rolling its eyes because of course it was not Hutson.

Hutson, 21, was drafted by Montreal in 2022, round 2, 62nd overall, and his game screams international ice. He just burned Minnesota for 1 G 1 A, and he's sitting on 3 G 9 A in his last 10.

Caufield is 25 and still one of the league's most dangerous one timer threats, especially when Suzuki buys him half a second. He was Montreal's closer on Tuesday, and his last 10 reads 5 G 4 A.

The important part, though, is that this was not a «call up the guy who cooked my team» thing, even if it plays like that online. USA Hockey said Jones is injured and cannot participate, and LaCombe simply fills a defense slot.

Jones is 31, a 2013 first round pick, 4th overall by Nashville, and he's been a big minutes pro for a long time. If he's out, Team USA needs a calm, reliable replacement more than a viral moment.

For Montreal, the «impact» is mostly vibes, more spotlight on Hutson's blue line creativity and Caufield's clutch scoring. The next milestone is simple, keep stacking points, and let the Olympic chatter ride until the next big test night.

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