The Goaltending Situation For The Florida Panthers
from Ken Campbell of The Hockey News,
The best goalie outside the NHL suddenly isn’t outside the NHL anymore. And just as suddenly, the Florida Panthers’ crease just got a lot more crowded. When the Panthers announced they had signed former Boston College and U.S. World Junior standout Spencer Knight to an entry-level deal Wednesday, it was with the clear intent that he stay with the NHL team the rest of this season.
In fact, don’t be the least bit surprised if Knight, selected 13th overall by the Panthers in 2019, sees NHL action at some point. After signing his contract, the first order of business is for Knight to join the team in Florida, where he’ll likely be placed on the taxi squad. But early indications are that he will not spend any time in the American League this season. He’ll earn a pro-rated portion of his minor league salary of $70,000 on the taxi squad, which will shift to his $835,000 stipend if he is moved to the active roster.
What this means for Florida’s goaltending in the long-term is fairly clear. Sergei Bobrovsky has five years remaining on his deal after this season, but coach Joel Quenneville has not hesitated to play backup Chris Driedger. The same will be the case for Knight, who will ultimately play ahead of Bobrovsky if he proves to be the better option. In the short-term, Driedger, who has been outstanding this season, will not be back in Florida next season. Would the Panthers consider trading Driedger before the April 12 trade deadline in order to make room for Knight? Possibly, but not likely. Driedger’s numbers have actually been superior to Bobrovsky’s this season, although Bobrovsky’s game has picked up after another slow start to the season. I’m told the only way the Panthers would consider trading Driedger is if they receive an offer that is simply too good to refuse. And even if they did that, they would almost certainly go out and get a veteran backup as insurance.
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