Hurricanes' playoff success discussed on 'NHL @TheRink' podcast

Jordan Martinook's recent offensive production, Jaccob Slavin's remarkable defense, Frederik Andersen's goaltending and an informative yet exhausting train ride were all part of a long interview with Carolina Hurricanes broadcaster Tripp Tracy on this week's edition of the "NHL @TheRink" podcast.

Tracy joined co-hosts Dan Rosen and Shawn P. Roarke to talk all things Hurricanes and how they have taken a 3-1 lead in their best-of-7 series against the New Jersey Devils in the Eastern Conference Second Round.

Martinook leads Carolina with nine points (three goals, six assists) in the series on four straight multipoint games, and Tracy said he's not surprised with the production from the veteran forward even though he's never produced like this before in his NHL career.

Tracy also praised the defense being played by Slavin, saying he's been the best defensive defenseman in the Stanley Cup Playoffs so far, and lauded coach Rod Brind'Amour's decision to stick with Andersen for Game 4 on Tuesday after a tough outing in Game 3.

Tracy said he spoke to Brind'Amour about his decision to start Andersen on Monday when they were riding the train from their hotel in Jersey City, New Jersey, to New York to visit with Brind'Amour's kids, who were in Manhattan. He said they got lost trying to navigate the public transportation system, which only meant they had more time to chat about Brind'Amour's decisions.

In addition to talking with Tracy, Rosen and Roarke went over what is going on in the rest of the playoffs, and sparked a debate on who should be considered the best player in the world right now: Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl.

They talked at length about the fallout that will come if the Toronto Maple Leafs lose in the second round to the Florida Panthers. Roarke said the length of the series doesn't matter. It's a loss he said, and it would be a massive disappointment.

Some ideas were tossed around for who could be the next coach of the New York Rangers, and Rosen and Roarke talked about how expectations for the Chicago Blackhawks next season should not change just because they won the 2023 NHL Draft Lottery and the right to pick Connor Bedard.

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

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