Necas, Hurricanes discussed with longtime broadcaster on 'NHL @TheRink' podcast

Martin Necas is scoring like he never has before in the NHL and the Carolina Hurricanes are red-hot, having won 12 of 14 games.

Tripp Tracy, the Hurricanes' longtime broadcaster, joined the "NHL @TheRink" podcast presented by SKIP on Thursday to break it all down.

Tracy spoke about Necas with co-hosts Dan Rosen and Shawn P. Roarke, talking about how his determination and will have enabled the 25-year-old from Czechia to get off to the best start in his sixth full NHL season.

Necas has 30 points (11 goals, 19 assists) in 18 games. He had a 13-game point streak (10 goals, 17 assists) end in a 4-1 win at the Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday.

The Hurricanes visit the New Jersey Devils on Thursday (7 p.m. ET; FDSNO, MSGSN).

Tracy also touched on Pyotr Kochetkov's opportunity to seize control of the No. 1 goalie job with Frederik Andersen sidelined for 8-12 weeks following knee surgery. He talked more about focus with Kochetkov than physical to be able to play as a No. 1 in the NHL. He discussed the impacts being made by Carolina's new players, including forwards Eric Robinson and William Carrier, and why Sebastian Aho might go down as the best player to ever wear a Hurricanes uniform.

In addition, Rosen and Roarke broke down the reasons that led to Jim Montgomery being fired as coach of the Boston Bruins, and why those reasons extend well beyond the coach. They also talked about the struggles of the Nashville Predators, who both agree should be way better than 6-11-3 through 20 games.

They had a discussion on who is the best team in the NHL right now, with the two wavering between the Winnipeg Jets, Florida Panthers and Hurricanes.

They talked about disappointment of Alex Ovechkin going down with a lower-leg injury and what that might do to the Washington Capitals. And they dove into Rosen's mailbag and discussed Connor Bedard and what the Chicago Blackhawks need to be doing more of to help the 19-year-old who hasn't scored in 10 straight 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.