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OK, the conditioning is now an issue.

After spending a season with Green, are there things in the summer Hutton is planning to do differently?

(He laughs. At least he can still laugh!)

“That’s a little … I still have to finish this season out,” he said.

“I want to work on quick feet.

“The first three steps. That’s one of the things I’ll harp on in the summer for sure.”

BEST FLIP

Now, oddly, asked later on this same topic, Green had a different POV on the Hutton file.

Damn Green, why didn’t you say this two months ago?

Saying Hutton drew the “short stick” in one interview and then saying his conditioning is a problem in another just causes more confusion.

If this was the answer in January there would have been a 80% reduction in Hutton questions.

Now, after seeing that, I still have a few.

Because Green’s latest rationale can only tell part of this story.

Clearly, it was determined Hutton was in good enough shape to play two days ago.

But not tonight?

Hutton was scratched four straight times in mid-February when the coach suggested this player needed to meet certain requirements to get back into the lineup (fitness, it seems now).

Those requirements were met, apparently, because Hutton started playing.

And he played well.

He knocked off six straight games, and five of them were good ones.

What could have changed on this file in 48 hours?

BEST EXCHANGE

It was pointed out to Green that in his team’s “embarrassing” loss to the Coyotes, his best pairing was Hutton and Gudbranson.