Eakins previews Eastern, Western Final on 'NHL @TheRink' podcast

Dallas Eakins believes the Carolina Hurricanes are "mechanical," but in a good way, and that someone should make a week-long video series on the Florida Panthers to document their rise this season after appearing to fall hard following their Presidents' Trophy-winning 2021-22 season.

Eakins, the former coach of the Anaheim Ducks and Edmonton Oilers, joined the "NHL @TheRink" podcast Tuesday to dissect the conference finals, going over everything from the coaching matchups and styles to what makes the Vegas Golden Knights, Dallas Stars, Hurricanes and Panthers successful.

Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final between the Hurricanes and Panthers is at PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina, on Thursday (8 p.m. ET; TNT, SN, CBC, TVAS). Game 1 of the Western Conference Final between Golden Knights and Stars is at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Friday (8:30 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN, CBC, TVAS).

Eakins has been doing some television work for "Hockey Night in Canada" and ESPN since his four-season tenure with the Ducks ended April 14. He spread some of his knowledge in an interview with podcast co-hosts Dan Rosen and Shawn P. Roarke. He talked specifically about his relationship with Panthers coach Paul Maurice, noting that when they worked together with the Toronto Maple Leafs it was Maurice always boasting about Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour and his talents.

Eakins said he thinks Brind'Amour is one of the best coaches in the NHL and that the Hurricanes play in his mold. He spoke about goaltending in the Stanley Cup Playoffs and how unpredictable it's been. He talked about how he thinks all four of the teams remaining are true teams in that they don't rely on one or two players to get the job done, but instead they have depth and use it to their advantage.

In addition, Rosen and Roarke setup the conference finals with some of their thoughts on the matchups. They made predictions and talked about who they think could or should be leading in the Conn Smythe Trophy race through two rounds.

They also broke down the fallout from the Maple Leafs' five-game loss to the Panthers in the Eastern Conference Second Round and where things go from here for general manager Kyle Dubas, and core players like Auston Matthews, Mitchell Marner and William Nylander.

The podcast is free, and listeners can subscribe on all podcast platforms. It is also available on NHL.com/multimedia/podcasts and the NHL app.

Listen: New episode of NHL @TheRink