Jack Eichel’s case for the Hart Trophy as the NHL most valuable player, the St. Louis Blues’ chances of reaching the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and debating whether Auston Matthews should play in the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off if he is compromised by an injury that won’t go away. It’s all featured on this week’s episode of the “NHL @TheRink” podcast presented by SKIP.
Co-hosts Dan Rosen and Shawn P. Roarke were joined on Thursday by Vegas Golden Knights television host Daren Millard, who discussed the reasons Eichel, the Vegas center who entered Thursday with 48 points (10 goals, 38 assists) in 37 games this season, should be in the conversation for both the Hart Trophy and the Selke Trophy, which is given annually to be the best defensive forward.
Millard laid out Eichel’s case as a top point producer who has become an effective penalty killer and just as good on the defensive side of the red line as he is on the offensive side.
In addition, Millard talked with Rosen and Roarke about how the Golden Knights have stayed atop the NHL (they led the League with a .716 points percentage entering Thursday) despite losing three core players in the offseason: forwards Jonathan Marchessault (Nashville Predators), Chandler Stephenson (Seattle Kraken) and William Carrier (Carolina Hurricanes).
The conversation with Millard also included his thoughts on the Montreal Canadiens, who defeated Vegas 3-2 on Tuesday after trailing 2-0. Millard said the Canadiens are fun but not quite structured enough to make a run at the playoffs this season.
Prior to the interview with Millard, Rosen and Roarke talked about the struggles of the Chicago Blackhawks, which were made clear in their 6-2 loss to the Blues in the Discover NHL Winter Classic at Wrigley Field on Tuesday.
That conversation continued with the co-hosts breaking down reasons they think the Blues can be a playoff team. Staying in the Central Division, they also talked about the re-emergence of the Colorado Avalanche as Stanley Cup contenders, largely because of goaltending.
Following Millard’s interview, Rosen and Roarke got into a debate about Matthews, the Toronto Maple Leafs center, and whether there should already be a conversation about his status for the United States in the 4 Nations Face-Off, the best-on-best tournament being held Feb. 12-20.
Matthews has been managing an upper-body injury all season and missed his sixth straight game Thursday.
The "NHL @TheRink" podcast presented by SKIP is free, and listeners can subscribe on all podcast platforms. It is also available on NHL.com/multimedia/podcasts and the NHL app.
