The NHL has announced that Florida Panthers goaltender Spencer Knight has signed up for the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program.
Knight will be out indefinitely while receiving treatment, according to the league statement.
The 21-year-old recently returned to the Panthers roster, losing back-to-back games to St. Louis and Nashville. Last month, he was sent to the AHL and went 1-1-0 in two games with Charlotte, earning a 23-save shutout against Lake Erie on Jan. 21. Knight has only played four games in 2023 after also dealing with an upper-body injury earlier this season.
Picked 13th overall by the Panthers in 2019, Knight is 31-17-6 in the regular season with three shutouts and a .906 save percentage. Knight made an immediate impact after leaving the NCAA, winning all four of his starts to close out 2020-21 and even making two playoff appearances. With Sergei Bobrovsky struggling in recent years, Knight needed to steal games and be the team’s No. 1 long term. So far, that has not been the case.
Prior to turning pro, Knight was considered one of the best goaltenders in recent college history. He was Hockey East champion as a rookie in 2019-20, making the league’s second all-star team. He went on to win a second championship the following year, was Hockey East’s Goaltender of the Year and Player of the Year as well.
The Panthers are still in the playoff conversation, sitting tied with Detroit for the last wildcard spot with three games in hand. It’s a big fall for the team that won the President’s Trophy last season and looked destined for another playoff appearance, but injuries and weak play have kept them in contention. The Panthers don’t have a first-round pick after moving him on a deal with Montreal’s Ben Chiarot last season.
