Michael Whitaker Articles - Page 3

The frustrating refrain for the Minnesota Wild continued earlier this spring, as they once again failed to make it out of the opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Minnesota hasn’t advanced to the Western Conference Semifinal since 2015 when they defeated the St. Louis Blues in Round 1. The current Wild roster looks far […]

It wasn’t very long ago that the Chicago Blackhawks not only experienced the end of the dynasty that produced three Stanley Cup victories, but also began their slide toward the bottom of National Hockey League standings. There have been some frustrating times in recent years in the Windy City, but some of the consolation prizes […]

The Seattle Kraken weren’t overly busy this offseason in free agency, though general manager Jason Botterill did acquire a handful of players via trade. They acquired forward Mason Marchment in a deal with the Dallas Stars, while also landing former Detroit Red Wings first-round draft selection Joe Veleno in a deal with the Chicago Blackhawks. […]

The 2024-25 NHL season was nothing short of a difficult experience for the Boston Bruins, who are just two seasons removed from resetting the league’s regular season victory record with an astounding 65 wins. Of course, fans would prefer not to talk about how that particular season ended, and they’re feeling the same way about […]

It looks as though the relationship between star defensive end Micah Parsons and the Dallas Cowboys could be coming to a close, as the latter has officially requested a trade from the former. Parsons, who the Cowboys selected in the opening round of the 2021 NFL Draft, took to social media earlier on Friday and […]

The Utah Mammoth are coming off their very first season in Salt Lake City since the move from their former identity as the Arizona Coyotes, and they’ve already made an indelible impression on the community that had never experienced professional hockey before. Initially known simply as the Utah Hockey Club for their inaugural campaign, they’ve […]

Former Chicago Blackhawks team captain Jonathan Toews, who was the leader of the franchise that won the Stanley Cup in 2010, 2013, and 2015, has officially found the next stop in his professional career. Toews recently agreed to a one-year contract with the Winnipeg Jets, his hometown team. Toews has not played since April 2023, […]

The Chicago Blackhawks once again came nowhere close to a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs in the recently completed 2024-25 NHL Season, finishing with a 25-46-11 record and landing the third overall selection in the NHL Draft Lottery. The Blackhawks utilized the third overall selection on Swedish forward Anton Frondell, who has the potential […]

The Carolina Hurricanes made it back to the Eastern Conference Final for the second time in the last three seasons, but were once again dispatched by the Florida Panthers. In an effort to get them over the hump moving forward, the Hurricanes have made a handful of notable additions to their roster, including the acquisitions […]

The Philadelphia Flyers, who have not been to the Stanley Cup Playoffs since 2020, are banking on the latest moves from general manager Daniel Briere that their drought could soon come to an end. The Flyers have re-signed a handful of their current players, including Noah Cates and Cam York. Additionally, they acquired Trevor Zegras […]

The Vegas Golden Knights traded defenseman Nicolas Hague to the Nashville Predators along with a 2027 conditional third-round pick in return for forward Colton Sissons and defenseman Jeremy Lauzon. The Predators then immediately locked Hague up with a four-year contract worth $22 million, good for a $5.5 million cap hit. It was their first major […]

Despite basically everyone thinking Brock Boeser was leaving Vancouver, the Canucks managed to get a new contract hammered out with the forward after he all but said his unofficial goodbyes to the team near the end of the 2024-25 NHL regular season. The Canucks and Boeser agreed to a seven-year, $50.75 million deal with a […]

The Carolina Hurricanes have acquired a major upgrade on the blue line, trading for defenseman K’Andre Miller from the New York Rangers in exchange for defenseman Scott Morrow, a conditional first-round draft pick and Carolina’s 2026 second-round draft pick. Not only this, but the Hurricanes also locked Miller up with an eight-year contract that carries […]

40-year-old defenseman Brent Burns isn’t done playing just yet, as he’s decided to take his talents from the Carolina Hurricanes to the Rocky Mountains and has joined the Colorado Avalanche. Burns, who has played in every regular season game for the last 11 consecutive seasons, agreed to a one-year contract. He will make a $1 […]

The St. Louis Blues have already unveiled a new, updated uniform look for the 2025-26 NHL season, and now they’ve made a key addition to their lineup for the next two seasons. Former Vancouver Canucks forward Pius Suter has agreed to join the Blues, signing a two-year, $8.25 million contract with a $4.125 million cap […]

The Anaheim Ducks have taken a significant step forward, grabbing one of the top forwards that was available on the free agent market on the opening day of the NHL’s free agency period. Ducks GM Pat Verbeek has announced that the club has signed Mikael Granlund to a three-year contract with a $7 million cap […]

The Florida Panthers continue to live it up after repeating as Stanley Cup champions, having once again defeated the Edmonton Oilers in what was the first Cup Final rematch since the Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins met in 2009. Most fans and analysts figured that the Panthers would be unable to re-sign all of […]

The Florida Panthers continue to bask in the glow of their second consecutive Stanley Cup win, and it was made possible in large part due to the acquisition of former Boston Bruins team captain Brad Marchand at the 2025 NHL trade deadline. Marchand scored 10 postseason goals for the Panthers, including six alone in the […]

The 2024-25 NHL campaign was a rough overall season for the Seattle Kraken, who would ultimately fall short of attaining a berth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the third time in their four-year existence. They finished in second-to-last place in the Pacific Division with a 35-41-6 record, resulting in the firing of coach Dan […]

The Winnipeg Jets won the Presidents’ Trophy for the first time in their history for their incredible 2024-25 regular season, but it ended in disappointment with a postseason loss to the Dallas Stars, and now, the Jets could be bracing themselves for more disappointment. Forward Nikolaj Ehlers, who can become an unrestricted free agent on […]

The Nashville Predators were nothing short of a major disappointment throughout the 2024–25 NHL season. They entered the campaign 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” […]

The Philadelphia Flyers pulled off a trade with the Anaheim Ducks this week, acquiring forward Trevor Zegras and sending Ryan Poehling, a 2025 second-round pick – originally belonging to the Columbus Blue Jackets – and a 2026 fourth-round pick back to the Ducks. It brings an end to the Zegras era of Ducks hockey, where […]

The Vegas Golden Knights have decided to retain one of the original “Misfits”—a player who was part of their inaugural 2017–18 team and later returned to the organization after a brief absence. The Golden Knights have re-signed forward Reilly Smith to a one-year contract with a $2 million cap hit. Smith will be extending his […]

Longtime former San Jose Sharks forward Joe Thornton is getting the recognition that he deserves by being voted to the Hockey Hall of Fame class of 2025. Thornton is now a first-ballot Hall of Famer, being inducted in his first year of eligibility. Other inductees from this year’s Class included Alexander Mogilny, Zdeno Chara, and […]

The Edmonton Oilers may finally be looking to make a much-needed upgrade in goal, a move that could go a long way toward convincing Connor McDavid to eventually re-sign with the team. One of the most frequently mentioned targets is Anaheim Ducks goaltender John Gibson. According to NHL insider Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff, Gibson […]

We are now just days away from the 2025 NHL Draft, and the Los Angeles Kings currently hold the the 24th overall selection. But that doesn’t mean that’s where they’ll ultimately be selecting. The Kings, who were eliminated for the fourth season in a row in the Western Conference first round by the Edmonton Oilers, […]

While there is ongoing drama surrounding the future of the Kansas City Chiefs at historic GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, one figure who remains optimistic is Quinton Lucas, the mayor of Kansas City. While attending a KC World Cup community event at the University of Kansas at Overland Park, Lucas said that there are plenty […]

After missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs once again, it’s time for the Columbus Blue Jackets to make a move involving a player who has previously requested a trade out of town: goaltender Elvis Merzlikins. Merzlikins was selected 76th overall in the 2014 NHL Draft and arrived in North America in 2019 after playing for HC […]

The Seattle Kraken are serious about wanting to return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs after missing out by a considerable margin in the 2024-25 NHL season. They’ve already made a coaching change, removing Dan Bylsma after a single season and replacing him with former New York Islander coach Lane Lambert. Now, Kraken general manager Jason […]

While Minnesota Wild general manager Bill Guerin will have ample salary cap space to utilize this offseason thanks to the contract buyouts of Ryan Suter and Zach Parise finally coming off the books, one player that he may not be able to retain is Marco Rossi. Rossi, who is a pending restricted free agent, reportedly […]

The Florida Panthers are once again the kings of the hockey universe, having repeated as Stanley Cup champions with their exciting six-game series victory over the Edmonton Oilers. Coincidently, it was the second consecutive season that the Panthers took down the Oilers in the Stanley Cup Final, and once again did so on home ice […]

The Florida Panthers put the finishing touches on their second consecutive Stanley Cup victory, becoming the fourth team to repeat as Stanley Cup champions since the Detroit Red Wings (1997, 1998), Pittsburgh Penguins (2016, 2017), and Tampa Bay Lightning (2020, 20201). While the lack of points from team captain Aleksander Barkov may have concerned some […]

The Nashville Predators have started their offseason moves by bringing back a familiar face. They’ve re-acquired forward Erik Haula from the New Jersey Devils and sent Jeremy Hanzel and a 2025 fourth-round draft pick back to the Devils in return. It marks the second go-around of Haula with the Predators after playing 51 games with […]

Last season, Edmonton Oilers team captain Connor McDavid was in tears and was too despondent after a bitterly disappointing loss to the Florida Panthers in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final to return to the ice from the dressing room and accept the Conn Smythe Trophy as postseason MVP. In a cruel twist of […]

The Florida Panthers have pulled off another incredible feat, winning their second consecutive Stanley Cup at the expense of the Edmonton Oilers. The Panthers secured a 5-1 victory on Tuesday evening in Sunrise, thanks in large part to four goals from Sam Reinhart and 28 saves from goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky. With this achievement, Bobrovsky not […]

With the Buffalo Sabres having extended their NHL-leading postseason drought into a 14th consecutive season, the general sentiment has been that there are multiple players on their roster who are unhappy with the constant setbacks and would prefer a chance of scenery to better their chances of experiencing a winning culture. One of them is […]

The Florida Panthers are on the verge of repeating as Stanley Cup champions thanks to their convincing 5-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday evening in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final. The Panthers managed to get the bad taste of their stunning 5-4 overtime loss in Game 4 out of their mouths […]

The Florida Panthers were hoping for a much better result on Saturday than the unfortunate fate they suffered in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Edmonton Oilers, and Conn Smythe Trophy candidate Sam Bennett was doing his part to make sure it happened. The Panthers forward scored his 15th goal of the […]

Florida Panthers veteran Brad Marchand continues to turn back the clock with an electrifying performance in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Thanks to his clutch showing against the Edmonton Oilers in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final on Saturday evening, he and his teammates are now just one win away from capturing their second […]