Panthers goalie Spencer Knight loaned to AHL’s Charlotte Checkers

Knight returned to the Panthers over the summer after receiving treatment in the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program

The Florida Panthers have trimmed the team’s training camp roster down by five players.

Florida has waived forwards Grigori Denisenko, William Lockwood and Alexander True and defenseman Matt Kiersted.

Should they clear waivers, each is expected to report to the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers

Additionally, and perhaps more notably, the Panthers are also sending goaltender Spencer Knight to the Checkers.

Knight, who is waivers exempt, will head straight to Charlotte on a loan. 

This is a decision that the Panthers said would be possible. Knight hasn’t played with Florida since leaving the team in February to join the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program for what he has since revealed was a battle with obsessive compulsive disorder.

“This wasn’t a training camp decision," Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice said Friday. "This is something we looked at from the start."

Now Knight is expected to act as the starting goaltender in Charlotte, where he’ll seemingly get much more playing time than he would have with the Panthers as backup to Sergei Bobrovsky.

"He’s made great progress in his program," Maurice said. "He feels good and looked fantastic in training camp, but we need to put him in a No. 1 position, a No. 1 role, and then run his program and work on what he’s been working on.”

Florida signed goalie Anthony Stolarz on the first day of free agency and he’s played well during the preseason. Stolarz will now serve as Bobrovsky’s number two.

"Stolarz has come in and played real good, and Bob’s got the net for sure," Maurice said, adding that Bobrovsky has "got games he can play, and he’s looking forward to getting in that kind of rhythm. I’m very pleased with his training camp. He looked good."

As for Knight, he is still just 22 years old and playing in the first season of a three-year, $13.5 million contract extension, so he very much remains in Florida’s future plans.

Since returning to the team over the summer, Knight has looked like he never left. His play in net has been solid and consistent, and he’s always got a big smile on his face.

Starting the season in Charlotte was something that Knight knew was a possibility. 

“He was well aware of it,” Maurice said. “We didn’t say it was for sure going to happen, but there was definitely a plan for it to happen.”

What remains to be seen is the big picture plan. How long Knight will stay in Charlotte and what kind of role he’ll have upon returning are questions that are far from being answered. 

At the end of the day, the main goal is doing what will ultimately benefit Knight and his hope of enjoying a long and successful career.

"What's best for Spencer Knight right now is also what's best for the Florida Panthers long-term," Maurice said. "He looked good in camp and we want to keep that going."

The Panthers training camp roster now stands at 30 players. Florida plays its final preseason game on Saturday night against the Tampa Bay Lightning at Amerant Bank Arena.