Michael Whitaker Articles - Page 22

The Vegas Golden Knights were on top of the world just over one calendar year ago, celebrating the first Stanley Cup victory in just the sixth year of their existence since entering the NHL. Essentially, the Golden Knights went from the loveable team that could to the League’s new villain, especially due to their creative […]

The first wave of the National Hockey League free agency period has come to a close, and there was a whirlwind of activity that saw plenty of the bigger names change destinations. And perhaps no team made more meaningful and impactful additions to their squad than the Nashville Predators, who put the rest of the […]

The Nashville Predators have been fortunate enough to employ a pair of the NHL’s top players between the pipes over the last decade and a half, starting with franchise icon Pekka Rinne and his successor Juuse Saros. The Predators then landed another standout goaltender, selecting Yaroslav Askarov in the first-round of the 2020 NHL Draft. But […]

The Chicago Blackhawks have had a difficult transition period, going several consecutive years without a postseason appearance. However, they’d be hard-pressed to find anyone feeling sorry for them considering what they accomplished during their glory years with three Stanley Cup victories in seven seasons that also included an additional pair of trips to the Western […]

The 2024 NHL offseason is in full swing for the Calgary Flames, who missed out on securing a berth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the second consecutive year. Since the Flames last played beyond the regular season in the spring of 2022, there have been massive changes within the organization, both on the ice, […]

The Dallas Cowboys have their work cut out for them, as cornerstone players like CeeDee Lamb, Micah Parsons, and Dak Prescott will all need new contracts in short order. But it’s Lamb who is working to force management’s hand with a new, more lucrative contract by having been a no-show during offseason team activities and […]

It was a whirlwind of literal historic proportions yesterday, as the NHL free agency period began officially at noon. By the end of the day, over a billion dollars worth of contracts had been signed, the most in League history. Several notable names have new destinations, while other teams are still looking to pick up […]

It’s the unfortunate reality of the business that is the National Hockey League, and now-former Philadelphia Flyers forward Cam Atkinson has found that out the hard way. He’s been bought out of the final years of his contract and is now a free agent. Frequently a healthy scratch under demanding bench boss John Tortorella, Atkinson […]

There will be another veteran defenseman up for grabs when the NHL free agency period begins on Monday, as the Dallas Stars have decided to buy out the remaining term of Ryan Suter’s contract. This marks the second time in his career that Suter has been bought out, as he’s still getting paid by the […]

He’s going to be one of the bigger (literally) players to hit free agency when the annual open marketplace begins this Monday afternoon, but where exactly are the best potential landing spots for Vancouver Canucks defenseman Tyler Myers? It doesn’t appear as though there has been any meaningful progress between the two sides on a […]

The Toronto Maple Leafs are heading for another crucial offseason following their latest early exit from the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Their Round 1 loss against the rival Boston Bruins was the seventh time in the last eight years that they’ve failed to advance to Round 2, calling into question how much longer management will continue […]

What seemed like an impossible situation has played out in stunning fashion in the 2024 Stanley Cup Final. The Edmonton Oilers, who initially trailed three games to none against the Florida Panthers, have roared back to tie the series at three games apiece. This has set up a winner-take-all Game 7 on Monday night at […]

What was once a comfortable three games to none series lead in the 2024 Stanley Cup Final for the Florida Panthers has suddenly turned into a three-games to-two lead following two straight victories by the Oilers not only to stave off elimination but to plant the seeds of doubt in the minds of the Panthers […]

It was an almost impossible situation to find oneself in, especially given the circumstances that led to it. The Columbus Blue Jackets have decided to fire head coach Pascal Vincent after only one season on the job, the 2023-24 campaign was nothing short of a miserable death march for the franchise that has only made […]

He’s going to be one of the key upcoming free-agent defensemen that will be hitting the open market, and he’ll have no shortage of suitors. But where exactly are the best potential destinations for Nikita Zadorov? This will mark the second time in just over a few months that there will be a sweepstakes for […]

For the second consecutive season, the Calgary Flames missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Adding to their frustration, their provincial rivals Edmonton Oilers advanced to the Stanley Cup Final. Meanwhile, their former cornerstone, Matthew Tkachuk, is close to winning the Stanley Cup with the Florida Panthers. In contrast, the player the Flames acquired in the major […]

For the first time in their history, the Florida Panthers enjoy a series lead in the Stanley Cup Final in their third appearance as one of the final two National Hockey League teams standing. They’ve frustrated the Edmonton Oilers in the first two games, holding their vaunted offensive attack to a single goal in 120 […]

The Edmonton Oilers have thus far experienced a cruel reversal of their fortunes in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, having dropped both Games 1 and 2 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Florida Panthers. What’s even more alarming is the fact that the vaunted offensive attack of Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and Zach Hyman has […]

The Florida Panthers will be playing for the Stanley Cup for the second consecutive season. This time, they’re hoping for a better result than their five-game series loss to the Vegas Golden Knights. And considering the fact that they entered this year’s postseason as the Atlantic Division champions, they’re in a much better position to […]

He’s been one of the more consistent point producers in the NHL during his career, and he’s once again set to become a free agent. Tyler Toffoli, who played last season with the New Jersey Devils and Winnipeg Jets while amassing an impressive output of 33 goals and 22 assists. It marked the second straight […]

Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Ilya Samsonov will forever be known as the first goaltender since Ed Belfour in 2004 to help the franchise advance past the 1st round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. However, that likely won’t be enough to entice management to offer him a 3rd year wearing the Leafs crest. Joseph Woll’s emergence […]

Jake Guentzel was one of the biggest fish being dangled at the 2024 National Hockey League Trade Deadline, and he found his new home (at least temporarily) with the Carolina Hurricanes. But what does the future hold for Guentzel? Guentzel was selected with the 77th overall pick (Round 3) of the 2013 NHL Draft by […]

The season for the Colorado Avalanche is over following their defeat at the hands of the Dallas Stars in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Despite their Round 1 series victory over the Winnipeg Jets, the Avalanche failed to overcome the balanced attack that the Stars boast — and they certainly weren’t aided by the notable […]

The Edmonton Oilers have returned to the Western Conference Final for the second time in the last three seasons. They’re hoping for a better outcome than their last trip in 2022 that saw the Oilers promptly swept at the hands of the eventual Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche. This time, they’re matched up against the […]

The 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs began with four Canadian National Hockey League teams qualifying for the annual tournament. As the Western Conference Final commence, the only one that remains is the Edmonton Oilers. This marks the Oilers’ second trip to Round 3 since 2022, and they are aiming for a longer run when taking on […]

The Seattle Kraken will have a new figure behind the bench for the upcoming 2024-25 NHL season. Whoever it is will be the second head coach in franchise history. Shortly after the most recent season concluded, which saw the Kraken unable to build on last season’s incredible playoff run, general manager Ron Francis decided to […]

The Carolina Hurricanes’ season ended in spectacularly disappointing fashion, as they were felled by the President’s Trophy-winning New York Rangers in six games in Round 2 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Carolina initially fell behind three games to none before winning the next two games and enjoying a 3-1 lead heading into Game 6 at PNC […]

The Tampa Bay Lightning’s season has come to an end, marking a second consecutive early exit from the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Last year, they suffered defeat in Round 1, becoming the first team since the 2004 Ottawa Senators to fall to the Toronto Maple Leafs. This year, their postseason journey was halted by their in-state […]

Once again, the Columbus Blue Jackets find themselves back at the drawing board following yet another season where they fell short of qualifying for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. This marks their 17th time in 23 seasons without having earned the right to play beyond the 82nd game of the regular season. The franchise has essentially […]

The hockey world’s attention, particularly in Canada, will be riveted on the upcoming Stanley Cup Playoff clash between the Edmonton Oilers and the Vancouver Canucks, marking their first postseason meeting since 1992. With memories of their previous encounter 30 years ago, where the Oilers emerged victorious with a four-game to two series win, anticipation is […]

The Toronto Maple Leafs are again heading home for an early summer following yet another Round 1 exit from the Stanley Cup Playoffs. In a scene already played out three times prior, the Leafs failed to emerge victorious over the rival Boston Bruins in Game 7 at downtown Boston’s TD Garden despite having held the […]

The Boston Bruins managed to avoid a second straight Round 1 disaster in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, adding to the perpetual misery of the Toronto Maple Leafs by dealing them yet another Game 7 loss at TD Garden following Saturday night’s 2-1 overtime victory. Sniper David Pastrnak delivered the knockout blow to Toronto, beating goaltender […]

It’s like a broken record at this point for the Los Angeles Kings, who were unable to take advantage of the popular phrase “The 3rd time is the charm”. For the 3rd straight season, they were eliminated in the 1st round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs by the Edmonton Oilers, and have used up another […]

The New York Islanders’ tenure in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs was short-lived, swiftly ended by the Carolina Hurricanes for the second year in a row. Although they stretched their series to six games last year, luck wasn’t on their side this season. They narrowly escaped a sweep before conceding defeat in Game 5. It […]

For the second time in three years, hockey fans in the Sunshine State witnessed a postseason showdown between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Florida Panthers. However, this year’s outcome differed significantly from their encounter two years ago in 2022. The Panthers are advancing to the second round after securing four out of five games […]

It may not be the most prestigious award that is given out annually at the NHL Awards Show, but the Lady Byng Trophy has been won by some of the most prestigious players in League history, and there will be someone looking to add their name to that tradition later this summer after the Stanley […]

The Vancouver Canucks find themselves in a challenging position despite splitting the first two games of their Round 1 Stanley Cup Playoffs series against the Nashville Predators. They’ve encountered significant setbacks, with workhorse goaltender Thatcher Demko ruled out for the remainder of the series and having to call on backup Casey DeSmith. Additionally, there was […]

It was nothing short of another struggling season for the Columbus Blue Jackets, who found themselves embroiled in controversy before the 2023-24 campaign even began thanks to the botched hiring of Mike Babcock. The former Stanley Cup-winning coach didn’t step behind the bench for a single game for Columbus before he resigned owing to reports […]

The Ottawa Senators made a crucial decision mid-season by parting ways with coach DJ Smith, who had faced significant and growing criticism from fans and media alike. Jacques Martin stepped in as interim coach, with team legend Daniel Alfredsson joining as an assistant. However, Martin emphasized he was not a permanent solution, prompting the Senators […]