Panthers release 22-man Opening Night roster, which features a couple surprises
Goaltender Spencer Knight and forward Patrick Giles were left off Florida's initial NHL roster
The Florida Panthers have released their Opening Night roster.
Perhaps the biggest surprise was that goaltender Spencer Knight was left off the roster.
That decision likely was due to Knight being exempt from having to pass through waivers, meaning Florida did not have to risk another team claiming him by sending him to the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers.
This may be a bit of gamesmanship on the part of Panthers GM Bill Zito, as teams across the league may be looking for a quick grab at a goaltender as teams lock down their rosters for their respective openers and try to sneak players down to the AHL.
Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice also indicated that the move could be due to salary cap reasons.
A few hours before the roster was released, Maurice was asked about carrying three goalies and had this to say:
“I don’t know the answer to that yet,” Maurice said after Florida practiced Monday morning. “Most or all of that question will be cap related, injury based, what happens in the next three or four hours.
"I’m only going to play one goalie, hopefully," he added with a smile. "That’s the plan. It’ll sort itself out here in the next three or four hours.”
Knight looked excellent all month and should be in Florida’s future plans for goaltending, both short term and long.
For now, backing up Sergei Bobrovsky will be the job of reliable veteran Chris Driedger, who very well could have been claimed by another team if Florida had kept Knight as their initial No. 2.
Forward Patrick Giles, who had a very impressive camp and preseason for Florida, was also not included on the team’s initial roster.
Like Knight, Giles is also waivers exempt.
Florida will start the season carrying 13 forwards, seven defensemen and two goaltenders.
That includes Mackie Samoskevich, MacKenzie Entwistle and Uvis Balinskis.
You can check out Florida’s full Opening Night roster below:
LATEST STORIES FROM THE HOCKEY NEWS - FLORIDA
