Florida needs clarity on its goaltending situation before the start of free agency on July 1
Florida needs clarity on its goaltending situation before the start of free agency on July 1
Goaltending played a major role in the Florida Panthers reaching the Stanley Cup Final.
The importance lies not only in the skill, but also in the depth of the position, which for Florida was put on display by AHL veteran Alex Lyon in the final weeks of the regular season.
The 30-year-old was called into action after Sergei Bobrovsky fell ill during a road trip in Canada, and Lyon responded by going on a season-saving stretch that propelled the Panthers into the final Eastern Conference playoff spot.
Once into the postseason, Bobrovsky reclaimed his crease and played some of the best hockey of his career. He played a pivotal role in Florida going on an 11-1 stretch that saw them cut through the playoff field like butter en route to the team’s first Final appearance in 27 years.
Even looking at Florida’s Stanley Cup opponent, the Vegas Golden Knights, you’ll see a team that used five different goalies during the regular season.
Adin Hill, the tendy who was nothing short of spectacular for Vegas during the second half of their playoff run, was acquired by the Golden Knights during the offseason as a potential competitor for a backup job.
He ended up playing 27 games during the regular season and probably would’ve been the starter heading into the playoffs if not for a lower-body injury he suffered in March.
Bottom line…you’re not going to succeed without multiple capable goaltenders.
Looking ahead to next season, the Panthers currently have Bobrovsky and Spencer Knight under contract, and at the minor league level, Mack Guzda and recently signed Swiss goalie Ludovic Waeber are locked up for the year.
With Knight, however, there is still some unknown regarding his status for the upcoming season.
Knight left the Panthers in late February to enter the NHL and NHLPA’s shared player assistance program.
He moved back home to Connecticut to participate in the program, which he has since completed.
The 22-year-old recently garnered some attention after a photo surfaced of Knight with some hockey playing friends, including Anaheim Ducks’ star forward Trevor Zegras, at the Belmont Stakes. Zegras posted the photo on his Instagram page.
It was a good sign that Knight was living a healthy life, out with friends, doing things that young men do when they’re not working.
Looking ahead to the upcoming hockey season, it is currently not known whether Knight will be on the ice with his Panthers teammates when training camp begins.
The hope from the team is that Knight will be there, though they are still waiting to have a conversation with the young netminder before the start of free agency regarding his plans for how he wants to proceed following the completion of his treatment.
If Knight feels that he will be ready to return next season, which is only a few months away, the team will welcome him back with open arms and enter training camp with Bobrovsky and Knight as their expected NHL tandem.
But if that isn’t the case, and Knight feels he will need more time, Panthers General Manager Bill Zito will need to plan accordingly regarding the probability of acquiring another goaltender.
Free agency begins in less than two weeks, on Saturday, July 1.
Sometime between now and then, the Panthers and Knight will get on the same page, and Florida will know how it needs to approach goaltending during the offseason.
Just as an FYI, here are some of the top unrestricted free-agent goalies available this summer:
Frederik Andersen, Semyon Varlamov, Alex Nedeljkovic, Laurent Brossoit, Adin Hill, Antti Raanta, Martin Jones, Joonas Korpisalo, Tristan Jarry, and the Lyon King.