When the Minnesota Wild were a mess of injuries last season, Carson Lambos got a taste of NHL life. Just not on the ice.
Lambos, 22, was called up for a few games last season and traveled and skated with the team on an East Coast road trip. But he didn’t play in a game, and headed back to Iowa after coming oh so close to his NHL debut.
But this month, with the Wild missing injured blue liners Zach Bogosian. Jake Middleton, Jonas Brodin and Daemon Hunt — the latter two on injured reserve — Lambos was the first healthy body to get the call to Columbus.
“I’m just really excited and grateful that I have this chance,” Lambos said following the team’s morning skate in Columbus. “(I’ve been) reflecting on the journey a little bit today, so it’s exciting to be here and savor the moment.”
Originally from Winnipeg, Lambos was playing major junior hockey in his hometown, and on loan with a team in Finland, when the Wild grabbed him with the 26th pick in the 2021 NHL Draft. He had at least a half-dozen friends and family making the trip to central Ohio to see his first NHL outing.
“He’s a good, young, developing player. He’s a strong kid. He’s got mobility, he competes hard. I think he can move the puck,” Wild coach John Hynes said following morning skate. “I think he’s earned the opportunity. He’s played for a while, and I thought he had a good training camp for us. So, I’m excited to see him play tonight.”
The insertion of Lambos into the lineup came on the same day that Hunt was added to the IR, and another Iowa defenseman — Davis Spacek — was recalled from Iowa. Hynes was not ready to give a timeline on the injury for Hunt, who left Tuesday’s win versus Washington in the first period following what looked like a knee-on-knee collision with a Capitals player.
“I wouldn’t classify it yet as week-to-week,” Hynes said. “We’ve got to let something settle down and then we’ll see how he’ll be. I think it’s one of those things where 48 hours after, you’ll kind of see what it’s going to be.”
The changes on the blue line come less than a week after the addition of Quinn Hughes to the mix on Minnesota’s back end. For Columbus, that meant prepping for a very different team than the one the Blue Jackets beat in October in St. Paul. Hughes is suddenly and rightfully the focus of their attention.
“Well, he is an extremely special player. Obviously. A lot of our pre-scout is around him and how he breaks the puck out, how he plays in the offensive zone, how he plays in the neutral zone,” said Blue Jackets coach Dean Evason, who coached the Wild 25 months ago before being replaced by Hynes.
“Their top line is as good as any line in the league. And then combine him and Faber, they’re special, right? So, we’ll have to pay special attention, but they’ve got obviously other weapons as well, and their goaltending is fantastic.”
Evason also had a good sense of humor about his former employer when asked what has made the Wild so successful lately.
“They’re coached better,” he said.
