Florida Panthers goaltender Spencer Knight has come to the NHL and is proving he can play. The 6-foot-3 and 192-pound Knight has played well at every level he has played in, and the NHL is no different.
Knight, a Darwin, Connecticut native, came in with the hope that he could be the eventual starter. However, that time may be sooner than later, as he has performed much better than veteran starter Sergei Bobrovsky.
Would the Florida Panthers trade Bobrovsky in order to make Knight the full-time starter? It is not out of the question if someone is willing to take on Bobrovsky’s contract.
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Knight is a butterfly goalie that was taken 13th overall in the first round of the 2019 NHL Draft. Since that draft, Knight has performed at an elite level and developed faster than even the Panthers had thought.
Knight made his NHL debut in the 2020-21 season out of Boston College and turned heads immediately. In the regular season, he went 4-0 with a goals-against-average of 2.32 and a .919 save percentage.
Knight played two playoff games, going 1-1 with a save percentage of .933 and a goals-against-average of 2.07.
The 2021-22 season is when he started to take shape as an NHL goaltender. Knight went 19-9-3 with a goals-against-average of 2.79 and a save percentage of .908. He also played with the AHL Charlotte Checkers, going 7-4 with a goals-against-average of 2.95 and a save percentage of .905.
This season, he is playing with the purpose to be the Florida Panthers starter next season. He is 5-3 with a goals-against-average of 2.25 and a save percentage of .923 and one shutout. He ranks fourth in shutouts, 10th in save percentage, and seventh in goals-against-average.
Knight is putting serious pressure on both the Florida Panthers and Bobrovsky. In his last five games, Knight has a .928 save percentage and 11 goals against. In his last 10, he has played in seven games, given up 16 goals, and has a save percentage of .922.
He has excelled at every level has played. Knight’s lowest save percentage in his career has been .881 in 2015-16. His highest goal-against-average was 3.15 while playing with the USNTDP junior team. These are solid numbers in the NHL but these were his worst numbers.
If the Panthers can find a taker for Bobrovsky and his contract, or even half of it, look for him to be on the move to make room for Knight. Knight is playing better, is younger, and the contract is much lower.
Knight has risen quickly to the top of the food chain and looks primed and ready for a full-time NHL starter role between the pipes. Could next year be the year?