Amalie Benjamin joins; Western Conference races, Canucks diversity & future, Fleury's impact, Super 16, Melnyk's legacy

Dan Rosen and Shawn Roarke were joined by Amalie Benjamin (15:25), NHL.com's Boston-based staff writer, who discussed her recent visit to Vancouver to report on and write about the new-look Canucks' executive staff complete with Emilie Castonguay and Cammi Granato, the first two women assistant general managers in NHL history. Benjamin discussed her interviews with Castonguay and Granato along with conversations she had with Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin, the first Swedish GM in NHL history, and Jim Rutherford, Vancouver's president of hockey operations. Benjamin also discussed the Bruins (32:00), the team she covers most for NHL.com. She touched on the immediate questions about goalie Jeremy Swayman and how he will handle the pressure of the upcoming Stanley Cup Playoffs, and hit on the future of center Patrice Bergeron, who is 36 years old and can become an unrestricted free agent after this season. 

Rosen and Roarke also had a breakdown of the race in the Western Conference (9:00), specifically the Pacific Division, and gave reasons why it's hard for them to believe in any team besides the Calgary Flames. They talked about goalie Marc-Andre Fleury's impact on the Minnesota Wild since his arrival in a trade from the Chicago Blackhawks (5:00). The Wild have won seven in a row, including five straight since Fleury got to Minnesota. The co-hosts also gave some thoughts on the news that came out of the NHL General Managers' meetings (56:00) this week and the passing of Ottawa Senators owner Eugene Melnyk, who died Monday night. He was 62 years old (58:00).