Michael Whitaker Articles - Page 3

The New York Islanders struggled to find consistency in their first full season under head coach Patrick Roy, who managed to lead them to a playoff spot in 2024 but wasn’t able to do so this season. While the Islanders have already made a notable change by not renewing the contract of former general manager […]

It was one of the more difficult seasons for the Vancouver Canucks in recent memory, as they not only failed to defend their Pacific Division crown from 2023-24 but missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs altogether. Even more so was the difficulty going on behind the scenes, as reports of internal conflict and tension between two […]

The Boston Bruins traded team captain Brad Marchand to the Florida Panthers at the trade deadline in March, a move that most Bruins fans never would have believed would be possible when he was named the successor to previous team captain Patrice Bergeron upon his retirement in 2023. Marchand has been a stellar addition for […]

While the season for the Colorado Avalanche ended in extremely disappointing fashion with their opening-round loss to the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference Quarterfinal, the play of defenseman Cale Makar during the regular season campaign was once again top notch. It was to nobody’s surprise that he took home the Norris Trophy for the […]

The Florida Panthers put the finishing touches on a dominating 6-1 victory over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 3 of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final on Monday evening and are now just two wins away from repeating as Stanley Cup champions. The third period of the contest was filled with tension, as the tempers of […]

While the Calgary Flames ultimately missed out on securing a berth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for a third consecutive season, one positive they can look toward is the strong play of young players on their roster that helped to keep them in postseason contention until the very end of the campaign. One player who […]

The Florida Panthers blasted the Edmonton Oilers on Monday evening, winning Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final in convincing fashion by a 6-1 final score. Six different Panthers players found the back of the net, including Brad Marchand, Sam Bennett, Carter Verhaeghe, Sam Reinhart, Aaron Ekblad, and Evan Rodrigues. The Panthers now have the […]

The three-time defending Eastern Conference champion Florida Panthers are once again back in the Stanley Cup Final, and they have the performance of Sam Bennett to thank in large part for it. Bennett has already scored 13 goals so far in the postseason, including 12 on the road, setting a new single postseason NHL record. […]

The Nashville Predators were nothing short of an abject disappointment throughout the 2024-25 NHL season. They entered the campaign with bonafide Stanley Cup expectations thanks to the additions of Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault, and Brady Skjei, and they also re-signed goaltender Juuse Saros to an eight-year contract extension. General manager Barry Trotz essentially went “all-in” […]

The Florida Panthers are once again competing in the Stanley Cup Final, the third consecutive season that they’re one of the two final teams standing. Currently, they’re deadlocked with the Edmonton Oilers at one game apiece in the first Cup Final rematch the NHL has seen since the Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins met […]

The Edmonton Oilers weren’t able to build off their Game 1 overtime victory over the Florida Panthers in the 2025 Stanley Cup Final, dropping a 5-4 decision on Friday night in double overtime thanks to a pair of goals from Florida’s Brad Marchand. Marchand, who scored shorthanded earlier in the game, added his third tally […]

The Florida Panthers overcame what could have been a soul-crushing late tying goal by Edmonton Oilers forward Corey Perry with just 18 seconds remaining in regulation in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final thanks to some clutch heroics from Brad Marchand. Marchand scored two goals during the game, including the game-winner in double overtime […]

The Colorado Avalanche are slated to begin the 2025-26 NHL season without forward Logan O’Connor in their lineup after he recently underwent hip surgery. According to the post the Avalanche made on their official social media account, O’Connor’s recovery timeline is set for between five and six months, meaning he could potentially be unavailable until […]

The Florida Panthers are hoping for a better result when they hit the ice for Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Edmonton Oilers. The Cats lost 4-3 in overtime on Wednesday in Game 1 following a costly delay of game penalty, putting them behind 1-0 in the best-of-seven series. But as they […]

The Edmonton Oilers gained the early edge in the Stanley Cup Final, defeating the Florida Panthers 4-3 in overtime on Wednesday night at Rogers Place in Edmonton. Hall of Famer and former Oilers captain Wayne Gretzky was in attendance to watch the game, working with the studio crew of the NHL on TNT. Gretzky has […]

The Dallas Stars were eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the second season in a row by the Edmonton Oilers in the Western Conference final, bringing to an end a postseason run that began with an exciting seven-game series victory over the Colorado Avalanche, followed by a series win over the Winnipeg Jets. The […]

While the season for the Tampa Bay Lightning came to a close in disappointing fashion with another opening round loss to the Florida Panthers, one member of the team is getting more confirmation of his on-ice greatness. Forward Nikita Kucherov, one of the most gifted and offensively dynamic players in the NHL today, was named […]

The Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers are once again set to battle it out in the Stanley Cup Final, a rematch of last season’s championship round that ultimately went the distance and resulted in the very first title in Panthers franchise history. And while there are new faces on both sides this time around, the […]

For a time this season, it seemed as though Elvis Merzlikins and the Columbus Blue Jackets were destined to return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2020 in the NHL’s “bubble” format in Toronto amidst the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Blue Jackets defeated the Detroit Red Wings in consecutive […]

The season for the Dallas Stars ended in disappointing and familiar fashion, as the Edmonton Oilers eliminated the Stars in the Western Conference Final for the second straight campaign. But one major controversy in the early goings of the deciding Game 5, a 6-3 victory by the Oilers to advance to the Stanley Cup Final, […]

One of the key decisions that will be made by Minnesota Wild general manager this offseason is whether to continue trying to re-sign pending restricted free agent forward Marco Rossi. Multiple reports indicated that Rossi recently rejected a pair of contract offers from the Wild, including a reported five-year, $25 million deal during the regular […]

The Toronto Maple Leafs’ disappointing run in the Stanley Cup Playoffs continued, as they were eliminated by the Florida Panthers in seven games in the Eastern Conference Semis. It was especially frustrating loss given their early 2-0 series lead after their first-round victory over the Ottawa Senators. There could potentially be major changes in store […]

The Carolina Hurricanes have seen their season come to a close at the hands of the Florida Panthers in the Eastern Conference Final for the second time in the last three seasons, adding to their overall miserable record in the postseason’s third round since 2009. The Hurricanes have advanced to the ECF four times since […]

The Florida Panthers will soon be competing in the Stanley Cup Final for the third consecutive season thanks to their victory in the Eastern Conference Final over the Carolina Hurricanes. They’ll face the Edmonton Oilers for the second consecutive season in the Cup Final, hoping to become the fourth NHL team since 1997-98 to win […]

The season for the Dallas Stars, which produced an impressive 50-26-6 record during the regular season and thrilling series wins in the Stanley Cup Playoffs over the Colorado Avalanche and Winnipeg Jets, is now over. Dallas was done in for the second consecutive campaign by the Edmonton Oilers, dropping Thursday night’s Game 5 by a […]

The Ottawa Senators, thanks to an influx of young talent and established veterans like Claude Giroux, finally returned to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since their unexpected run to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final against the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2017. While it was ultimately a short-lived stay in the postseason, […]

The season is over for the Dallas Stars in unfortunate and familiar fashion, a loss in the Western Conference Final to the Edmonton Oilers. Once again, the Oilers are Stanley Cup Final bound, while the Stars are heading for the offseason with a feeling of emptiness and missed opportunity. Despite taking a 1-0 series lead […]

The Nashville Predators loaded up in the 2024 offseason, signing established veteran leadership talent like Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault along with Brady Skjei; they also re-signed goaltender Juuse Saros to a long-term contract. It looked as though the Predators had all the makings to be one of the top teams in the Western Conference, […]

It’s becoming a regular occurrence at this point, but the Florida Panthers have once again secured their spot in the Stanley Cup Final with a 5-3 win over the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Final on Wednesday evening. Matthew Tkachuk, Anton Lundell, and Evan Rodrigues all scored for the Panthers in […]

The Carolina Hurricanes’ season came to an end on Wednesday night, as they were eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs by the Florida Panthers, who won by a 5-3 final score in Game 5. For the third consecutive season, the Panthers are the last team standing in the Eastern Conference and now hope to make […]

The Edmonton Oilers have the chance to take a three games to one stranglehold on the Dallas Stars when they meet in Game 4 of the Western Conference Final on Tuesday night at Rogers Place. The Oilers won in convincing fashion in Game 3, a 6-1 final score that put them on top in the […]

Another season, another heartbreaking Game 7 loss for the Toronto Maple Leafs. You’d think that by now, their fans would be used to the pain and frustration of constantly falling short in the postseason, but this latest loss in a winner-take-all game hurts a little more. The Maple Leafs roster that left the ice in […]

The Edmonton Oilers knotted their Western Conference Final series against the Dallas Stars at one game apiece thanks to their 3-0 shutout victory in Game 2 in Dallas; the series now shifts to Edmonton for Games 3 and 4. Ahead of Game 3 on Sunday afternoon, Oilers veteran forward Corey Perry, playing in his second […]

It’s still a strange sight for fans of the Boston Bruins to see former team captain Brad Marchand wearing the colors of another franchise, but team management decided to send him to the Florida Panthers at the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline after being unable to come to terms on a new contract. While Marchand can […]

The season for Nikolaj Ehlers and the Winnipeg Jets ended in heartbreaking fashion in more ways than one. The Jets were defeated by the Dallas Stars in six games in the Western Conference semifinal while at the same time dealing with a tragic situation with teammate Mark Scheifele, who had lost his father the night […]

There will be a decisive Game 7 in the Eastern Conference Semifinal between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Florida Panthers, thanks to the Maple Leafs’ 2-0 shutout victory in Game 6 on Friday night at Amerant Bank Arena. Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube, hired by the franchise exactly one year ago, is no […]

After missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the New York Islanders decided not to renew the contract of 82-year-old Lou Lamoriello after seven seasons. Has he already begun zeroing in on his next job? Lamoreillo was seen strolling through Buffalo Niagara International Airport earlier this week, sparking speculation that he could potentially be in line to […]

The Florida Panthers pounced on the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 4, knotting the Eastern Conference Semi Final at two games apiece thanks to their pair of victories at Amerant Bank Arena. Sunday night’s 2-0 shutout victory put the finishing touches on Florida’s second consecutive victory, meaning that it is now a best-of-three. The series […]

The broken record that fans of the Los Angeles Kings everywhere thought would finally stop playing continues to drone on and on, much to their chagrin. For the fourth consecutive season, the Kings were eliminated in the opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs by the Edmonton Oilers. Despite enjoying home ice advantage for what […]