Michael Whitaker Articles - Page 2

There have been multiple trades in the NHL so far this month, with various players heading to new cities. But there was also recently a trade between the Columbus Blue Jackets and Seattle Kraken that resulted in only one player switching addresses, and that was forward Mason Marchment. Marchment, who had been acquired by the […]

After the St. Louis Blues announced that forward Dylan Holloway was unavailable because of an ankle injury, they called up forward Otto Stenberg from the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds, and he would skate in his first NHL contest on Wednesday evening against the Winnipeg Jets at Enterprise Center. Not only did Stenberg get the traditional rookie […]

There was a blockbuster trade last week that took everyone by surprise, as the Minnesota Wild acquired defenseman Quinn Hughes from the Vancouver Canucks for a substantial package in return that included forwards Marco Rossi and Liam Ohgren, defenseman Zeev Buium and a first-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. It was a major swing […]

The Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning have been rivals with one another for decades now, since their introduction into the NHL in the early 1990s, and the Lightning have a particular bone to pick with Panthers defenseman Seth Jones following his actions against forward Brandon Hagel in Monday evening’s matchup. Jones leveled Hagel with […]

There were two major trades in the National Hockey League on Friday, starting with the deal between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Edmonton Oilers involving goaltenders Tristan Jarry and Stuart Skinner. The Oilers traded Skinner, defenseman Brett Kulak and a 2029 second-round pick to the Penguins for Jarry and forward Sam Poulin. For Edmonton, they’re hoping […]

The New York Islanders have been without first-year Islanders forward Jonathan Drouin for the last five games, as he’s been unavailable after having to nurse an injury. However, there’s good news to be shared on that front. Drouin was a participant in Islanders practice for the second straight day, and according to the man himself, […]

The Colorado Avalanche are getting a major boost back into their lineup for Tuesday night’s tilt against the Nashville Predators at Bridgestone Arena, as head coach Jared Bednar has announced that goaltender Scott Wedgewood is ready to return to the crease. Wedgewood hasn’t played since last Tuesday when he suffered an injury against the Vancouver […]

The Tampa Bay Lightning have come to terms with veteran defenseman Ryan McDonagh on a three-year contract extension worth a total of $12.3 million, meaning he’ll carry a salary cap hit of $4.1 million over the following three seasons. McDonagh is currently in the final season of his contract with a salary cap hit of […]

Not only were the Washington Capitals defeated by a 4-3 score in a shootout during Friday evening’s game at Honda Center, but they also lost rookie forward Ryan Leonard following a controversial hit delivered by Ducks defenseman Jacob Trouba late in the opening 20 minutes of play. Trouba leveled Leonard with what appeared to be […]

The Dallas Stars remain one of the most dangerous teams in the Western Conference thanks to their usual standouts, Mikko Rantanen and Wyatt Johnston, who rank among the club’s leading scorers. One of the most offensively gifted players in the NHL, Rantanen is on pace for another elite season, having already recorded 11 goals and […]

The Vancouver Canucks are in the throes of another tough season, a situation all the more frustrating for themselves and their fans considering they’re only two seasons removed from being the top team in the Pacific Division. They haven’t adjusted as well to the new coaching methods of Adam Foote, who is in his first […]

The Toronto Maple Leafs have been anything but fully healthy this season, and based on the latest information from head coach Craig Berube, they’ve suffered another setback in the health of defenseman Brandon Carlo. Berube indicated that Carlo, who hasn’t played since November 13 because of a lower-body injury, has experienced a setback in his […]

While the San Jose Sharks have had a rough go of it in recent seasons, their consolation prize was that they were able to land several top young talents by fortunate luck in the NHL Draft Lottery, including 2024 first overall pick Macklin Celebrini. Celebrini is now playing in his sophomore NHL season, and he’s […]

It’s once again been a struggle for the Vancouver Canucks to find consistency, as they’re currently in seventh place in the Pacific Division with a subpar record of 9-12-2 through the first 23 games of the 2025-26 NHL campaign. Naturally, as a team struggles as the Canucks are, there are going to be trade rumors […]

The Detroit Lions survived a scare on Sunday afternoon against the New York Giants, fighting their way back from a double-digit deficit and seizing a 34-27 overtime victory at Ford Field in Detroit. Thanks to the win, the Lions improved their record to 7-4 with a key divisional matchup against the Green Bay Packers looming […]

The Ottawa Senators have been missing team captain Brady Tkachuk for nearly the entire 2025-26 campaign, as he was injured on Oct. 13 against the Nashville Predators when defenseman Roman Josi cross-checked him, resulting in a torn ligament that ultimately required surgery to fix. Tkachuk has been unavailable since then, but the good news for […]

Since the transformational trade that the Calgary Flames made with the Florida Panthers in the summer of 2022, both franchises have gone in separate directions. The Panthers have gone to the Stanley Cup Final in each of the last three seasons, winning twice. Meanwhile, the Flames have yet to appear in the Stanley Cup Playoffs […]

It’s been several years since the Anaheim Ducks have last played beyond the 82nd game of the regular season. In fact, they have one of the lengthier current postseason droughts in the NHL, having last brought postseason hockey to Honda Center in southern California in the spring of 2017. Things are far different in Anaheim […]

Before they managed to pick up a badly-needed victory on home ice on Monday evening, the New York Rangers decided to shake up the roster by calling up forward Gabriel Perreault from the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack. He had a productive start to the season in Hartford, scoring five goals with five assists in just […]

The 2025 Hockey Hall of Fame Class is officially set. All new inductees were honored before the Hockey Hall of Fame Game at Scotiabank Arena on Sunday, before the Toronto Maple Leafs’ tilt against the Carolina Hurricanes. One of them is former Maple Leafs forward Joe Thornton. Thornton, a former first overall draft pick of […]

It’s been a struggle in the early goings of the 2025-26 NHL season for the St. Louis Blues, who are in last place in the Central Division with a 5-8-2 record. If things continue on their present course, it won’t be long before several Blues players begin seeing their name arise in trade rumors. Brayden […]

One of the bigger surprises in the early goings of the 2025-26 NHL Season has been the fast start by the Pittsburgh Penguins, who are currently on a three-season postseason drought and were not projected by many to play beyond the regular season for what would be a fourth straight season. Despite their recent loss […]

The relationship between the New Jersey Devils and goaltender Jacob Markstrom has been extended for another two seasons beyond the current campaign, as it was recently announced that he affixed his signature to a two-year contract worth $12 million. That means he’ll have a salary cap hit of $6 million. This is Markstrom’s second season […]

It may be early in his young NHL career, but so far in a short sample size, the New York Islanders are getting everything and then some from Matthew Schaefer. Shaefer was the projected consensus first overall selection in the 2025 NHL Draft, and the Islanders indeed made him the top pick. And his most recent […]

As the Toronto Maple Leafs continue preparations to face Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday evening at Scotiabank Arena, they’ll be getting a critical component of their lineup back on the ice thanks to the return of William Nylander. Nylander has missed three of the last four games after he continued to feel […]

The Edmonton Oilers may have advanced to the Stanley Cup Final in each of the past two seasons, though they would ultimately fall short on both occasions at the hands of the Florida Panthers. The success of the Panthers in both series came in large part thanks to the goaltending of Sergei Bobrovsky, who has […]

It was nothing short of a frustrating loss for the Ottawa Senators earlier this week, as the rebuilding Chicago Blackhawks scored a whopping seven goals against them as part of a 7-3 blowout victory in the Windy City. Senators goaltender Linus Ullmark was victimized for six goals on just 19 shots against; Chicago’s seventh goal […]

It’s so far, so good for New York Islanders rookie defenseman Matthew Schaefer, who has lived up to his billing as the top overall selection in this year’s NHL Draft. The Islanders, who won the NHL Draft Lottery despite having been to the Stanley Cup Playoffs in five of the last seven seasons, made Schaefer […]

The Edmonton Oilers have had to begin the 2025-26 NHL season without Zach Hyman, who suffered a dislocated right wrist during Edmonton’s Western Conference Final matchup this spring against the Dallas Stars on May 27. Not only was he unavailable for their second consecutive loss in the Stanley Cup Final to the Florida Panthers, but […]

Dallas Stars general manager Jim Nill has once again secured the long-term future of a player he clearly sees as a foundational piece for the foreseeable future, as defenseman Thomas Harley agreed to an eight-year contract extension that keeps him a member of the team through 2034. His new contract includes a $10.59 million salary […]

Among the NHL teams in dire straits in the early goings of the 2025-26 season are the New York Rangers. Not only did they miss the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2024-25, but they are on pace right now to easily miss once again based on their record through the first 10 games. They’ve won only […]

The Florida Panthers may be the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions, but their title defense is being tested to the limits thanks to a myriad of injuries to key players. That being said, they’ve been linked to longtime Pittsburgh Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin, a former Conn Smythe Trophy winner and future Hall of Famer who […]

For the first time in 32 years, the Toronto Blue Jays are returning to the World Series. And a former member of the Toronto sports scene in Sheldon Keefe, who coached the Toronto Maple Leafs for several seasons and is now with the New Jersey Devils, couldn’t help but notice the tribute to current team […]

It’s no secret that the Buffalo Sabres are currently mired in the longest postseason drought in the National Hockey League today. They haven’t played beyond the 82nd game of the regular season since the 2010-11 NHL campaign, a span of 14 years and counting. Nearly all projections from NHL Insiders have the Sabres missing the […]

Vancouver Canucks forward Filip Chytil has become the latest victim of notorious Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson, and he’s since been placed on Injured Reserve. Chytil was hurt during Sunday evening’s game at Capital One Arena after he was leveled by Wilson in the neutral zone just a moment after he released the puck for […]

The Columbus Blue Jackets flirted with earning a Stanley Cup Playoff spot last season, but faded down the stretch and ultimately fell short. And so far in the 2025-26 NHL season, their record leaves plenty to be desired, and head coach Dean Evason wasn’t shy about letting them know about it. The Blue Jackets were […]

The Los Angeles Kings were considerably shorthanded when the Pittsburgh Penguins came to down for a Thursday evening matchup at Crypto.com Arena. The fact that team captain Anze Kopitar wasn’t available because of a lower-body injury was more insult to injury amidst what ultimately proved to be a 4-2 Kings loss to the Penguins. With […]

The Nashville Predators entered last season with legitimate Stanley Cup aspirations following the high-profile additions of Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault, and Brady Skjei. The team also secured goaltender Juuse Saros with an eight-year contract extension. General manager Barry Trotz essentially went “all-in” to bring the Stanley Cup to Nashville for the first time, but the […]

One of the more interesting storylines surrounding the New York Rangers as they embark on their first season under the leadership of new head coach Mike Sullivan is the future of forward Artemi Panarin. He signed a seven-year contract with the club back in the 2019 offseason. Panarin is now playing the final season of […]