G Spencer Knight (2019, 13th, FLA)

[BB88]

Knight is the closest thing to NHL ready since Price was in his prime. The kid could go in the AHL and be a top 3 numbers guy in October in 3yrs he should be flat out good to go andthat's not rushing that's giving him time to adjust to each promotion. I understand no wanting to rush and kill a players game but like I said he is as close to rookie ready as a goalie these days will get.

Vasi was drafted 19th and got the job in his 5th season if I'm not mistaken.

Would be great for Florida to have Bob and not having to rush Knight, and have someone he looks up to follow closely as he develops. Create a strong and competitive enviroment for him.

I said it yesterday but this could be Florida going from Bob to Knight in a similar way Boston went from Thomas to Rask.
Spoiled on high end goaltending through the 20's.

 

[MintyFresh88]

Vasi was drafted 19th and got the job in his 5th season if I'm not mistaken.

Would be great for Florida to have Bob and not having to rush Knight, and have someone he looks up to follow closely as he develops. Create a strong and competitive enviroment for him.

I said it yesterday but this could be Florida going from Bob to Knight in a similar way Boston went from Thomas to Rask.
Spoiled on high end goaltending through the 20's.

I agree...despite a lot of people saying he could be ready for pro within a year or two, I think it’s minimum 3 years before we see him anywhere near the Panthers. I could see him signing his ELC if all goes to plan after 2 years at BC, then head to the AHL for at least 1 year. 4 years from now is the absolute earliest I see him being the Panthers back-up/playing an NHL game.

 

[TheImpatientPanther]

I agree...despite a lot of people saying he could be ready for pro within a year or two, I think it’s minimum 3 years before we see him anywhere near the Panthers. I could see him signing his ELC if all goes to plan after 2 years at BC, then head to the AHL for at least 1 year. 4 years from now is the absolute earliest I see him being the Panthers back-up/playing an NHL game.

So that's a 4-5 year timeline for Knight and one would assume Tallon tries hard to lock Bob in at 6 years instead of 7 now even if he has to overpay another 500-750k per year. Knight won't get a big deal for at least 5 years so it works out nearly perfectly with timeline in terms of cap space and the shift from one great goalie to hopefully another seamlessly

 

[MintyFresh88]

So that's a 4-5 year timeline for Knight and one would assume Tallon tries hard to lock Bob in at 6 years instead of 7 now even if he has to overpay another 500-750k per year. Knight won't get a big deal for at least 5 years so it works out nearly perfectly in terms of timeline in terms of cap space and the shift from one great goalie to hopefully another seamlessly

Absolutely, with Bob getting a huge deal, it makes a lot of sense to plan for Knight to be paired with him down the road while on an ELC to help offset that hit. Then, when Bob is expiring, Knight would presumably be in line for his starter contract. It’s a bold/ideal plan in theory...we’ll have to see how it works out for them.

 

[BB88]

So that's a 4-5 year timeline for Knight and one would assume Tallon tries hard to lock Bob in at 6 years instead of 7 now even if he has to overpay another 500-750k per year. Knight won't get a big deal for at least 5 years so it works out nearly perfectly with timeline in terms of cap space and the shift from one great goalie to hopefully another seamlessly

I'd bet the 1st contract post draft is a bridge or something like that instead of massive top dollar contract in a similar way which it would be for a forward or a D-man.

Few years development, 3 years ELC, bridge, big money contract.

 

[Our Lady Peace]

As a Panthers fan, I love the gamble here. I was at the draft and I celebrated big time with this pick being called out at 13.

Big fan of this goalie and all signs point to him being at least a solid starter. He's a real competitor and only wants to be better and better. So having someone with that drive already being as good as he is, really gives Florida a great outlook for it's goaltending future.

 

[NuxFan09]

I agree...despite a lot of people saying he could be ready for pro within a year or two, I think it’s minimum 3 years before we see him anywhere near the Panthers. I could see him signing his ELC if all goes to plan after 2 years at BC, then head to the AHL for at least 1 year. 4 years from now is the absolute earliest I see him being the Panthers back-up/playing an NHL game.

That sounds pretty good to me personally. Sounds a lot like the route the Canucks took with Schneider years back.

How do Florida fans feel about this pick in general? Taking a goalie this early is so rare nowadays so I'm quite curious as to what the reaction is in Florida.

 

[Newsworthy]

I want the Golden Knights to draft him.

So Fleury has a new guy to mentor while Vegas can stay under the cap.

Not so that the Knight's have a Knight?

 

[NuxFan09]

As a Panthers fan, I love the gamble here. I was at the draft and I celebrated big time with this pick being called out at 13.

Big fan of this goalie and all signs point to him being at least a solid starter. He's a real competitor and only wants to be better and better. So having someone with that drive already being as good as he is, really gives Florida a great outlook for it's goaltending future.

Yeah I keep forgetting the Panthers signed Bob. Talk about stability in that position for years and years to come. Give Knight all the time he needs at Boston College while Bob holds down the fort in Florida.

Tallon solidified the situation real nicely after Lu's retirement, that's for sure. Clearly not messing around when you give a massive contract to the biggest FA goalie in awhile and draft one 13th overall.

 

[OldScool]

Yeah I keep forgetting the Panthers signed Bob. Talk about stability in that position for years and years to come. Give Knight all the time he needs at Boston College while Bob holds down the fort in Florida.

Tallon solidified the situation real nicely after Lu's retirement, that's for sure. Clearly not messing around when you give a massive contract to the biggest FA goalie in awhile and draft one 13th overall.

Or Tallon screwed up majorly. Luongo retires a few days after draft....OK. Then Signs Bobrovsky for 7 years at $10M per season which makes him impossible to move later in the deal. Knight should be ready in no less than 4 years. So then you have Knight backing up and not playing for 3 seasons? No way do you have a young stud goalie not playing. If this was the case the Panthers should have picked a forward or Dman as they will help the team in less time. Maybe Luongo retirement caught them off guard leaving them no choice but to sign Bobrovsky to a longer deal than they wanted but I dont see this as a positive move for Knight at all as now he is stuck behind an elite goalie making huge $$$ for the next 7 years.

 

[Our Lady Peace]

Or Tallon screwed up majorly. Luongo retires a few days after draft....OK. Then Signs Bobrovsky for 7 years at $10M per season which makes him impossible to move later in the deal. Knight should be ready in no less than 4 years. So then you have Knight backing up and not playing for 3 seasons? No way do you have a young stud goalie not playing. If this was the case the Panthers should have picked a forward or Dman as they will help the team in less time. Maybe Luongo retirement caught them off guard leaving them no choice but to sign Bobrovsky to a longer deal than they wanted but I dont see this as a positive move for Knight at all as now he is stuck behind an elite goalie making huge $$$ for the next 7 years.

The Panthers chance to win is now. Their roster has never been this good. Dadonov and Hoffman have 1 year left. Stralman will hopefully bounce back from his injury issue and impact the defensive side of things greatly. They also have Joel Quenneville as coach who does have his own ways yes, but you can't deny the success he had with Chicago for almost a decade.

Signing Bobrovsky means his NMC ends when he's 35, at that time he could still be elite. A desperate team may want to gamble on taking him then or even a year or two before - or maybe they don't. Think about the cap rising at that time, he could be solid value relative to other goaltenders. We don't know what the future holds. What Florida knows for sure is that he's a 2 time Vezina winner, a goalie of his caliber that they have never rostered before, and it's all lining up while their top players are in their prime.

Knight I'm very optimistic will be at least a starting goalie and a very, very good one at that. However, you don't wait and bank on him being good in the future, not when you're Florida right now.

It's worth the gamble.

 

[Poppy Whoa Sonnet]

Any risk Knight doesn’t sign for four years and goes UFA? That’s possible right baring CBA change?

 

[Peasy]

Any risk Knight doesn’t sign for four years and goes UFA? That’s possible right baring CBA change?

Yeah its possible, but he probably will want to leave to start making money.

Im surprised Florida gave Bob the 7 years. I would have tried to pay a little more for less years. I don't think any other team would have given him the full 7.

 

[TheImpatientPanther]

Or Tallon screwed up majorly. Luongo retires a few days after draft....OK. Then Signs Bobrovsky for 7 years at $10M per season which makes him impossible to move later in the deal. Knight should be ready in no less than 4 years. So then you have Knight backing up and not playing for 3 seasons? No way do you have a young stud goalie not playing. If this was the case the Panthers should have picked a forward or Dman as they will help the team in less time. Maybe Luongo retirement caught them off guard leaving them no choice but to sign Bobrovsky to a longer deal than they wanted but I dont see this as a positive move for Knight at all as now he is stuck behind an elite goalie making huge $$$ for the next 7 years.

Knight would be 25 if Bob stays the full 7 years. Even at your 4 year projection, that's 3 years left of Bob to ease the transition for Knight. You should also know Knight thinks the world of Bob and has mentioned him as a player he looks up to.
The way Bob's deal is structured the first 5 years, we can retain cap and move the final two years, if need be.

Knight will play backup for a couple seasons, he won't leave college and become a #1 goalie.
He may get some time in the AHL as well. He has time to develop but no timeline expectations.
We could have 2-3 years where Knight is slowly taking over and have arguably the best goalie tandem in the league.
How is this a bad thing?

Goalies are typically the hardest position to fill/have long term.
Tallon may have secured our depth there for the next 10-15 years.

 

[BB88]

Or Tallon screwed up majorly. Luongo retires a few days after draft....OK. Then Signs Bobrovsky for 7 years at $10M per season which makes him impossible to move later in the deal. Knight should be ready in no less than 4 years. So then you have Knight backing up and not playing for 3 seasons? No way do you have a young stud goalie not playing. If this was the case the Panthers should have picked a forward or Dman as they will help the team in less time. Maybe Luongo retirement caught them off guard leaving them no choice but to sign Bobrovsky to a longer deal than they wanted but I dont see this as a positive move for Knight at all as now he is stuck behind an elite goalie making huge $$$ for the next 7 years.

You think Florida is a team that can bet on Knight being ready to be a legit starter in 4 years time?
Absolutely not, for so many reasons.

& It's going to take 6-8 years before Knight gets his money contract, and they can easily move Bob for backup role for the last few seasons if it looks like Knight is legit.

At 15 Knight was the best value pick for them, a potential franchise player and give them that much needed stability on net.

edit, and Luongo not being the starter moving forward wasn't a surprise.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Knight will be 25 when Bob’s contract is up, and most of the best goalies do not become starters until around 22-23. Knight can split time with Bob for a few seasons.

Knight probably will not even be a factor for the first two years of Bob’s contract. Best case scenario for him developing quickly, he’s ready that third season. Even then, you’d probably prefer he be a back up for at least a season or two. This isn’t the problem that it’s made out to be.

 

[OldScool]

Knight will be 25 when Bob’s contract is up, and most of the best goalies do not become starters until around 22-23. Knight can split time with Bob for a few seasons.

Knight probably will not even be a factor for the first two years of Bob’s contract. Best case scenario for him developing quickly, he’s ready that third season. Even then, you’d probably prefer he be a back up for at least a season or two. This isn’t the problem that it’s made out to be.

Many comparisons of Knight to Price and Price was playing 40 games in the NHL when he was 20 years old. Marc Andre Fleury was 18 in the NHL. Vasilevsky was 20 in the NHL. If comparisons/hype/expectations/1st round pick of Knight being a star goalie then he should be starting in the NHL well prior to being 22-23 years old.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Many comparisons of Knight to Price and Price was playing 40 games in the NHL when he was 20 years old. Marc Andre Fleury was 18 in the NHL. Vasilevsky was 20 in the NHL. If comparisons/hype/expectations/1st round pick of Knight being a star goalie then he should be starting in the NHL well prior to being 22-23 years old.

Those teams needed to play those players early. Florida doesn’t.

 

[OldScool]

Those teams needed to play those players early. Florida doesn’t.

Not now they dont.....lol.

 

[NuxFan09]

Yeah, I think some folks may be a bit optimistic on the timeline for Knight. Goalies aren't like skaters, it's pretty common for them to play 3 years, or even 4, in college. Then they need seasoning in the AHL, then a brief apprenticeship as a backup. Now, the process isn't cookie cutter. I get that. Knight may not need to follow that path, but you also can't assume he'll pull a Price or Murray.

Either way, 7 years of Bob I doubt will impede Knight much. Worst case scenario the Panthers will have a very expensive backup for the last few years. That would suck, yes, but my point is I don't think it will be an impediment on Knight. The Panthers will do what's best for the kid and figure out how to handle the Bobrovsky situation. For now, their team is on the rise and they needed a stud.

 

[Peasy]

Just like skaters, I believe we will be seeing elite goalies enter the league at a younger age.

Gibson, Murray, Price, Vas and now potentially Hart have all come into the league at young ages and have excelled. If Hart sticks, thats 16% of starting goalies that have become their teams number 1 before 24.

 

[shylock104]

Just like skaters, I believe we will be seeing elite goalies enter the league at a younger age.

Gibson, Murray, Price, Vas and now potentially Hart have all come into the league at young ages and have excelled. If Hart sticks, thats 16% of starting goalies that have become their teams number 1 before 24.

Don't forget Blackwood as well as Georgiev who both held their own behind very lackluster squads. Demko might be around the corner as well.

Younger goalies are becoming more and more common, and when you pick a goalie in the first round over some much needed blue line depth, you shouldn't be wasting the first few years of his 20s for an age 35+ goalie

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Don't forget Blackwood as well as Georgiev who both held their own behind very lackluster squads. Demko might be around the corner as well.

Younger goalies are becoming more and more common, and when you pick a goalie in the first round over some much needed blue line depth, you shouldn't be wasting the first few years of his 20s for an age 35+ goalie

None of those goalies played a lock-starter workload.

 

[AvsCOL]

Lol you don't draft a goalie 13th overall to have him split games when he's ready...

 

[93LEAFS]

2 to 3 years in College, then at least one AHL year. The list of goalies who played a full season by their D+5 season is pretty small. Since 2005, here are the goalies that played over 50 games in a single season by their D+5.

Marc-Andre Fleury: Full seasons for his D+3 and D+4

Steve Mason: D+3 and D+4

Carey Price: D+4

That is a very small list. Now, some guys break out in their D+5 such as Vasilvesky. Guys like Matt Murray, Tukka Rask, John Gibson, and Neuvirth had over 40 at that age, which is basically a time-split situation or they got called up mid-year. But, you shouldn't be expecting any goalie to be making an impact until their D+5 season, no matter how highly touted they are.