Panthers Pulse: Spencer Knight Looks Ready for Return to NHL
After spending the 2023-24 season in the AHL following a stint in the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program, Spencer Knight looks close to making a return to the Florida Panthers.
Photo by Colby Guy
Leading up to the beginning of training camp, Pucks and Palms will be previewing each of the key pieces of the defending Stanley Cup Champion Florida Panthers in a series called ‘Panthers Pulse’ heading into the 2024-25 season. Spencer Knight is next.
2023-24 Stats: 25-14-5, .905 SV%, 2.41 GAA (AHL Charlotte)
After getting a season of a starter’s workload with the Charlotte Checkers, Spencer Knight looks ready to make his return to the Florida Panthers.
His play down the stretch during the 2023-24 season paints that picture pretty clearly.
Knight logged three shutouts in his final eight regular season games with Charlotte, then went on to go 1-1 with a .925 SV% and a 1.87 goals-against average in the postseason.
It was the culmination of the hard work Knight put in to recover from his battle with OCD which caused him to spend time in the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program.
As the season went on, he continued to look more and more comfortable, helping the Checkers to the postseason in the process.
It wasn’t a perfect season, and Knight had to face a larger workload than expected when Charlotte faced multiple injuries in net, but he worked through it and looked dominant at points.
That three-shutout stretch near the end of the season is a very good example of just how good Knight can be.
He picked up those three shutouts in a four-game stretch, stopping 83 of 86 shots (.965 SV%) in the process. His shutout streak lasted into the next game, ending at 151 minutes and 46 seconds.
That is what you want from your franchise goaltender.
Coupling that end-of-season surge with the experience of working closely behind Sergei Bobrovsky through his impressive run through the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Knight is equipped with the tools he needs to make his comeback.
And the backup role is wide open once again with Anthony Stolarz taking his talents to Toronto after an impressive season behind Bobrovsky.
Chris Driedger may be back in the fold, but he also spent this past season primarily in the AHL after injuries plagued him for the past few seasons.
If he’s ready, the backup job is his, and there is still time for the 23-year-old to realize his potential as Florida’s goaltender of the future.
Up Next in Panthers Pulse: Aleksander Barkov
Previously: Matthew Tkachuk, Gustav Forsling, Sam Bennett, Evan Rodrigues, Eetu Luostarinen, Uvis Balinskis, Anton Lundell, Sergei Bobrovsky