LAS VEGAS — Rick Tocchet said where he thought Phil Kessel could end up before the 2022 NHL Trade Deadline and Mike McKenna explained why Marc-Andre Fleury might not be going anywhere on this week’s “NHL @TheRink” podcast.
The first remote broadcast of the podcast was recorded at the 2022 Truly Hard Seltzer NHL Fan Fair in the Las Vegas Convention Center on Thursday.
Hosts Dan Rosen and Shawn P. Roarke were joined by Tocchet, an ex-NHL player and former Arizona Coyotes coach; McKenna, a former NHL goalie; and Stanley Cup-winning defenseman Andrew Ference, who is the NHL director of social impact, growth and fan development.
Tom Gulitti, the Washington-based staff writer for NHL.com, also joined the show.
Tocchet said the Anaheim Ducks could be an ideal team for Kessel, the Coyotes forward who is in the final season of an eight-year contract and could be traded before the deadline March 21.
He also discussed his role as a TNT studio analyst and said he’d like to get back into coaching because he misses the competition and has the hunger to do it again.
McKenna, an NHL analyst for Daily Faceoff, said Fleury, the Chicago Blackhawks goalie, could choose to block any trade this season for family reasons even though teams like the Washington Capitals and Colorado Avalanche could be interested in him.
McKenna, who lives in St. Louis, also discussed St. Louis Blues goalies Jordan Binnington and Ville Husso, and whether there’s growing controversy about who should play more.
Ference joined the podcast to talk about the NHL’s new street and ball hockey program, NHL Street, which is aimed at giving more opportunities for kids to enjoy the game without having to worry about ice skating, finding rinks and more.
Gulitti discussed the Capitals and their need to upgrade the goalie position along with the reasons why Washington forward Alex Ovechkin is having one of his best seasons at the age of 36.
Ovechkin was voted by fans to be captain for the Metropolitan Division in the 2022 Honda NHL All-Star Game (3 p.m. ET; ABC, SN, TVAS), but is unable to participate because he is in NHL COVID-19 protocol. Ovechkin has scored 58 points (29 goals, 29 assists) in 46 games.
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.
—
Listen: New episode of NHL @The Rink