In today’s NHL rumour rundown, we have a look at why Lane Hutson may have been left off of the USA Hockey Olympic Orientation Camp invite list. Elsewhere, William Nylander spoke about Mitch Marner’s departure from the Toronto Maple Leafs and his decision to join the Vegas Golden Knights. Finally, a former NHL goaltender spoke about the pressure that Edmonton Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner is facing.
Hutson Skipped World Championship
At the end of the regular season, the World Hockey Championship tournament begins, and many players go to that tournament either when it starts or when they are eliminated from the playoffs. When it comes to Hutson, he, like many others, opted to focus on the offseason and not join his nation for the World Championship.
According to Marco D’Amico of RG.org, an NHL source told him that the decision to pass on the World Championship may have something to do with Hutson being omitted from the USA Hockey Olympic Orientation Camp.
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He then went on to say that while he wasn’t invited to the camp, that doesn’t mean that there isn’t a chance he makes the team. The source went on to add that when you look at the 4 Nations Face-Off, smaller defensemen were not what the USA was looking for; rather, defensemen with size and physicality were more appealing for this level of international play.
Nylander Speaks on Marner’s Departure
As a part of the NHL media tour in Europe, Nylander spoke with NHL.com about the departure of Marner and whether he saw it coming or not.
Nylander dealt with his own contract discrepancies with the Maple Leafs, where he held out until a few months into the 2018 season. When asked about Marner, Nylander stated that Marner’s focus was fully on bringing success to the Maple Leafs in 2024-25, and not as focused on the future.
Marner and Nylander joined the Maple Leafs together as youngsters and have played together since 2016. Nylander gave NHL.com the following statement:
“Not sure where that stuff comes from, but I don’t think he was ever thinking of leaving ahead of time. I actually asked him during the season and he said he was concentrating on Toronto. I didn’t want to press him on that and let him be because it was obviously on his mind, but his play was focused on helping us. Then I asked him after…
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