Florida Panthers sign Spencer Knight to three-year extension

The Florida Panthers have signed goaltender Spencer Knight to a three-year contract extension with a cap hit of $4.5 million.

Knight was in the final year of his entry-level contract with the Panthers and was set to become a restricted free agent after it expired.

“Spencer is a phenomenal goaltender, as well as an exceptional athlete and person,” said Florida Panthers general manager Bill Zito in a statement announcing the deal. “He has thrived in his professional career, dedicating himself to his training through his first two seasons with our organization. With this extension, we are excited about the present and future of Panthers goaltending.”

Knight is coming off his rookie season in the NHL, which came with its fair share of struggles. He served as the backup for Sergei Bobrovsky, playing 32 games with a 19-9-3 record but a .908 save percentage. His struggles also saw him go to the AHL briefly, where he played 11 games for the Charlotte Checkers, went 7-4, and had a .905 save percentage.

Knight’s underlying numbers look a little bit better, as he finished the year with a .924 5-on-5 save percentage and saved 3.48 goals above expected. Even with his struggles, he’s still just 21 years old, leaving plenty of room for potential to become the elite goalie he’s projected to be, and his underlying numbers showcase that he’s already started to adjust to the NHL game.

Knight was the only notable RFA that the Panthers had to worry about this season, so getting this contract out of the way before the season starts is a huge weight off their shoulders. They don’t have any high-end unrestricted free agents of note this season either, partially because their two biggest ones in Jonathan Huberdeau and MacKenzie Weegar were dealt earlier in the offseason to the Calgary Flames. The Panthers will be paying $14.5 million for their goaltending tandem next season up until 2026, when both Knight and Bobrovsky’s contracts are done.