What Your Team Is Thankful For: Florida Panthers
As the holiday season approaches, PHR will look at what teams are thankful for as the season nears the quarter point of completion. There also might be a few things your team would like down the road. We take a look at what’s gone well in the first month and what could improve as the season rolls on. So far we’ve covered ANA, ARZ, BUF, CGY, CAR, CBJ, COL, DET, LAK, NSH, NJD, NYI, STL, TOR, VAN, VGK and WSH.
What are the Florida Panthers most thankful for?
The upcoming 2018 draft class.
It’s not that the Florida Panthers are already out of playoff contention. They’re not. It’s that even if this season doesn’t turn around, and they do end up finishing where they are right now—that is, 28th out of 31 teams—they’ll be in fine shape at next year’s draft. The team already has some solid pieces up front, and two impressive young defensemen locked up long-term in Aaron Ekblad and Mike Matheson, but they need more on the back end and they know it. Luckily, this year’s draft class has several potential franchise-changing options on defense.
Rasmus Dahlin, projected at the moment to go first-overall is already a star in Sweden and could make his country’s Olympic squad before he turns 18. Adam Boqvist, another Swede, is just about as impressive and oozes elite offensive upside. Quinn Hughes and Ryan Merkley are both puck-rushing dynamos, though similarly undersized. If the small, mobile defender isn’t your thing, Noah Dobson, Jared McIssac, Bode Wilde and Evan Bouchard all carry more weight and two-way ability, though in different ways. In a nutshell, this year is loaded with defensive talent.
Florida has an extra thing going for them in the draft. While they don’t have their own second-round pick, they do have Arizona’s. Since the lottery only moves picks in the first round, and Arizona looks poised for another stint at or near the very bottom of the league, the Panthers are looking at selecting their second player somewhere in the early-thirties regardless of what they do for the rest of their season. There should still be plenty of talent in the early second.
Who are the Panthers most thankful for?
Quite simply, Barkov is a superstar. Not only is he well on his way to a career-high in points, currently sitting at 26 in 27 games, but he should receive Selke votes as one of the league’s best defensive forwards for the fourth straight year. Though he’s never won the trophy, it’s important to note that he’s still just 22-years old and already playing 23 minutes a night as one of the best two-way centers in the league. Not to mention that he’s signed for just $5.9MM for four more seasons and is on pace for his first 30-goal season. There’s no doubt that Florida has made some mistakes over the past few years, but signing Barkov long-term immediately wasn’t one of them.
Surrounding Barkov are Vincent Trochek and Jonathan Huberdeau, two other young stars not yet even halfway through their twenties. Both are basically point-per-game players this season, and though the Panthers clearly rely on those three more than a winning team should need to, they represent an excellent core to build around. All three are signed through at least 2021-22, giving the team more than enough time to give them the support they need.
What would the Panthers be even more thankful for?
A do-over at the Expansion draft.
It was obvious when Dale Tallon regained control of the Panthers that he didn’t agree with some of the decisions made by Tom Rowe and his more analytical-driven team. One of those decisions was Reilly Smith‘s $25MM extension, which Tallon jettisoned at the expansion draft just before it was set to kick in. To rid their books of Smith’s contract, they left Jonathan Marchessault available for the Vegas Golden Knights to select, handing over a 30-goal scorer that was owed just $750K this season. Though it was considered a budget-slashing move at the time, just a few weeks later the Panthers signed Evgeni Dadonov to a three-year, $12MM contract and then handed Radim Vrbata $2.5MM on the open market.
Sure, Dadonov has been a very good player for the Panthers this season and Vrbata doesn’t come with the same long-term risk that Smith’s deal represented, but after watching the duo rack up 46 points through the first part of the season on playoff-bound (for now) Golden Knights there has to be some regret. Florida had to lose a player, as every team did, but sending Smith, allowing Marchessault to be selected, and receiving just a fourth-round pick in return looks like a huge blunder at this point. At the very least, Marchessault would have been worth much more than that as a rental player if this season had still ended up poorly.
What should be on the Panthers’ Holiday Wish List?
A bubble to keep Roberto Luongo healthy after he returns.
The Panthers are without their starting goaltender once again, as Luongo is out for some time with what is expected to be a groin injury. While James Reimer was signed for this very reason, he hasn’t been nearly good enough this season to inspire much confidence. Luongo, 39 in April, has been having his best season in years between injuries, recording a .928 save percentage and generally looking as sharp as ever. Reimer on the other hand has just an .892 mark (easily the worst of his career) and hasn’t been able to find his game just yet.
It’s likely that Reimer rebounds at least somewhat to the .914 goaltender he’s proven to be throughout his career, but if the Panthers are to make any run at a playoff spot this year they’ll need this to be the last injury of the season for Luongo. If Barkov and company can drag them a bit closer, perhaps the veteran goaltender can lead a late-season surge towards respectability.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Injury Updates: Luongo, Manning, Fleury
It looked bad when Roberto Luongo was forced out of Monday’s game with an apparent lower-body injury, and the update won’t be very comforting to Florida Panthers fans. Head coach Bob Boughner told reporters that Luongo will miss an “extended period of time,” going as far as claiming five weeks could be a possibility. The Panthers wouldn’t confirm what the injury exactly is, though it’s believed to be the goaltender’s groin.
The 38-year old was playing exceptional this season, and carries a .928 save percentage on the season. While his play hasn’t suffered, injury was always a risk for a goaltender at his age as he showed by missing a large chunk of the season last year, and already being held out with a hand injury in the early going this season. The Panthers will turn to James Reimer and Harri Sateri for the time being, who will have to try and turn things around to keep the team in the playoff race. Florida currently sits seventh in the Atlantic, with just 24 points through 27 games.
- Brandon Manning will be out three to four weeks with an upper-body injury, while Michal Neuvirth is out for just one. The Philadelphia Flyers made two recalls to fill their spots this morning, and GM Ron Hextall also told Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer that Samuel Morin and Philippe Myers would be back from their own injuries in a week or so. Either young defenseman could get the call when they’re deemed healthy, though T.J. Brennan will get the first crack.
- Marc-Andre Fleury was back on the ice again at Vegas Golden Knights practice according to David Schoen of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, and was already having fun pranking his teammates. Fleury hasn’t played since October 13th, but seems ready to get back in the net for Vegas in the coming days. The Golden Knights already have Malcolm Subban back and playing well, giving them a legitimate tandem once Fleury gets back to game action. The Golden Knights, who are still fighting for first place in the Pacific Division, have found success even while dressing their fifth-string goaltender.
Minor Transactions: 12/06/17
As always, we’ll keep an eye on all the minor moves around the league today. One thing to keep an eye out for is teams releasing young players for the World Juniors, though it’s not clear if it will happen for anyone this year. Clayton Keller, Jesper Bratt and others have already been skipped over.
- The Philadelphia Flyers have recalled T.J. Brennan and Alex Lyon from the AHL, as they place Brandon Manning and Michal Neuvirth on injured reserve. The team will be relying on Brian Elliott for the time being, though Lyon is an interesting goaltending prospect for the future. The 24-year old has struggled this year at the AHL level, but has all the skills to succeed at the professional level.
- The Florida Panthers have recalled a goaltender of their own, bringing up Harri Sateri to replace Roberto Luongo. Luongo was forced from the game against the New York Islanders on Monday night, and could be out for some time. James Reimer will take over the starting duties for the time being.
- Rocco Grimaldi has been sent back down by the Colorado Avalanche after just a day with the club. Grimaldi played just nine minutes in last night’s game, but will return to the AHL to continue his development. The 24-year old has 10 points in 14 games for the San Antonio Rampage this season.
- Joel Eriksson Ek is back up with the Minnesota Wild, after showing that he can dominate the AHL. The 20-year old forward had seven points in seven games for the Iowa Wild, and looked dangerous on nearly every rush. Expected to play a big role on Minnesota this season, he got off to a slow start with just three points in his first 20 games and was forced to spend some development time in the minor leagues.
Florida’s Roberto Luongo Placed On IR
Florida Panther goaltender Roberto Luongo was placed on injured reserve Saturday after suffering an injury to his right hand in 4-3 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins, according to Matthew DeFranks of the Sun Sentinel. He left the game after getting injured in the third period, forcing backup James Reimer to take over for the remainder of the game. Reimer finished the game allowing one goal on 12 shots. The injury happened when Pittsburgh’s Conor Sheary sped by and Luongo got his hand caught between him and the goalpost.
The 38-year-old goaltender has struggled early on in the season in four starts. His 3.55 GAA, despite the small sample size, has been disappointing, especially after a down year a season ago when he had a 2.68 GAA.
Now, Reimer will take over in net for the time being. The 29-year-old backup split much of last season with Luongo as Reimer made 42 appearances and often outplayed the veteran. Reimer finished last year with a 2.53 GAA, but a respectable .920 save percentage. This year, Reimer has made three appearances with a 4.11 GAA and a .880 save percentage.
The team already recalled Harri Sateri from the Springfield Thunderbirds this morning. The 27-year-old signed with Florida this offseason after spending the last three years playing in the KHL.
NHL Snapshots: Kadri, Sanheim, Matheson, Jaros
Toronto Maple Leafs center Nazem Kadri is entering his ninth season of playing NHL hockey and for the first time ever, the 27-year-old broke the 30-goal plateau last year. Yet the center who feeds Patrick Marleau and Leo Komarov, believes he can do it again, according to Jonas Siegel of The Athletic (subscription required).
Siegel analyzes whether Kadri can, in fact, accomplish his boast. He writes that Kadri has one major asset that’s in his favor — to have a key role on one of the best power play units in the league, which he does. He scored 12 of his 32 goals last year on the power play, which was eighth in the league. Now with Marleau around added to the team’s arsenal, Kadri could very likely accomplish that feat.
However, one other thing that Siegel points out is that Kadri has learned a lot after having played in more than 400 games. His experience has taught him where to set up in front of the net, how to anticipate a scoring opportunity and quick reactions.
- Sam Cardichi of Philly.com writes that Philadelphia Flyers’ Travis Sanheim will likely stick with the Flyers for the time being after a bounce-back game against the Anaheim Ducks. Unfortunately, that means that 22-year-old defenseman Samuel Morin will likely be sent down to Lehigh Valley soon, despite a strong preseason and receiving three healthy scratches in the team’s first three games.
- NBC Sports Adam Gretz breaks down the Florida Panthers future salary cap situation after the team locked up defenseman Michael Matheson to an eight-year, $39MM contract Saturday. He writes the team now has nine players who are signed through the next four seasons, of which six are 25 years or under and they total $47.3MM combined. The group of Aaron Ekblad, Jonathan Huberdeau, Aleksander Barkov, Vincent Trocheck, and Nick Bjugstad lead their youth movement, while they also have Keith Yandle, Roberto Luongo and James Reimer locked up. However, Gretz writes that since the team doesn’t have any upcoming big contracts to hand out, the team will have a significant amount of cap space to fill out their roster with even more talent, suggesting that the Panthers are heading in the right direction.
- Along with the recall of Thomas Chabot, the Ottawa Senators also recalled defenseman Christian Jaros on Sunday. The 21-year-old defenseman came over from Sweden just this year and has played in just two games for the Belleville Senators, picking up one assist. He and Chabot will fill in for all the team’s defensive injuries.
Snapshots: Backes, Ikonen, Luongo
Although he was listed among the worst contracts for 2017-18 earlier this evening, David Backes is hoping for a bounceback year in Boston. Per an article penned by NBC Sports’ Adam Gretz, Backes realizes that he has underperformed thus far during his Massachusetts tenure. In an interview, Backes highlighted that he will focus this off-season on improving his agility and acceleration, which were severely lacking last year. As Gretz mentioned, however, he is 33 years old and cannot be expected to transform overnight. Adjusting to the increased speed of the NHL game could prove a challenge for Backes, but Boston has little choice but to hope that he can become the asset that he was in St. Louis as their long-time captain. The contract is relatively unmovable unless salary is retained and there are four years left on the deal. If nothing else, Backes could learn to fit into a more sheltered third-line shutdown role, as his defensive ability is absolutely still present.
- Center Joni Ikonen is a cause for optimism in Montreal, or so says Grant McCagg of Recrutes. Ikonen’s performance in the recent Summer Showcase was truly head-turning, as the flash he displays on a regular basis is highly intriguing. He also produced enough for fourth-best in the tournament, while looking defensively capable all the while. He finished the tournament with an impressive hat trick in a loss to Sweden. Ryan Poehling, another prospect at the showcase, also played well enough to attract praise. Poehling is less dynamic that Ikonen, but he already has an NHL-ready body and two-way mindset. He, like Ikonen, netted 5 points in 5 games in the brief tournament. The comparisons to Ryan Kesler may be relatively premature, but he seems a solid bet to make an impact. If either, or both, players make the Canadiens roster in the next few seasons, it would go a long way towards alleviating the massive center-ice issues the team has struggled with for at least a decade. Alex Galchenyuk will still likely have to take the reigns for this year, however.
- The Panthers are hoping to run with the Roberto Luongo / James Reimer goalie tandem for the near future, and are seemingly OK with that. Cat Silverman wrote a piece for FanRag Sports that details how the combination might work out this season to propel the team into the post-season yet again. The duo performed admirably last year through a long down spell and a coaching change, with Reimer claiming 42 of the starts. Luongo’s save percentage was a respectable .915, just behind Reimer’s .920. Luongo will have every opportunity to return to his “starter” status, but competition isn’t always a bad thing. Luongo’s contract, with 5 years remaining at 38, looks really formidable though, so the organization has to hope he can maintain his form well enough to grind out at least 3 more seasons. Craig Anderson is still going strong at 36, and Tim Thomas had his best years after the age of 34. Lightening Luongo’s yearly load will go a long way towards keeping him fresh. Ultimately, GM Dale Tallon had a solid, if unremarkable off-season, and is staying patient with the progress of his young core. As long as neither goalie’s performance totally implodes, they should at least challenge for a playoff spot.
Expansion Primer: Florida Panthers
Over the next few weeks we will be breaking down each team’s situation as it pertains to the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft. Which players are eligible, and which will likely warrant protection or may be on the block. Each team is required to submit their protection lists by 4pm CDT on June 17th. The full rules on eligibility can be found here, and CapFriendly has provided a handy expansion tool to make your own lists.
After cracking 100 points and winning the Atlantic Division in 2015-16, injuries and overall under-performance sent the Panthers tumbling back to Earth in 2016-17. Florida finished with over 20 points less, at 81, good enough for sixth in the division and a top-ten draft slot. Yet, hopes remain high in Sunrise, FL as the Panthers are still a team built around young stars that has just begun to reach its potential. With Huberdeau, Trochek, Barkov, Bjugstad, Ekblad, and Matheson forming a core group under 25 with top prospects like forwards Henrik Borgstrom and Adam Mascherin and goalie Sam Montembeault still on the way, Florida only has to worry about adding complementary pieces to a talented young group.
Yet, the shadow of the Expansion Draft still looms large over the Panthers. With so many good, young players under contract, the expansion process will not be easy for the Cats. They may be able to protect their best young players, but they are nearly guaranteed to lose a solid complementary veteran.
Eligible Players (Non-UFA)
Forwards
Jonathan Huberdeau, Aleksander Barkov, Reilly Smith, Vincent Trocheck, Nick Bjugstad, Jussi Jokinen, Derek MacKenzie, Colton Sceviour, Jonathan Marchessault, Steven Hodges, Michael Sgarbossa, Graham Black
Defense
Keith Yandle (NMC), Aaron Ekblad, Jason Demers, Alex Petrovic, Mark Pysyk, MacKenzie Weegar, Reece Scarlett
Goaltender
Roberto Luongo, James Reimer
Notable Exemptions
Jared McCann, Denis Malgin, Michael Matheson, Ian McCoshen
Key Decisions
The Panthers don’t have an easy decision to make at any position group. They face the risk of losing a prominent forward, defenseman, or goalie if they don’t read the Vegas Golden Knights correctly. Perhaps the biggest name who may be left unprotected in net: potential future Hall of Fame goalie Roberto Luongo. Many were surprised when the Panthers brought back Luongo, and with him the remainder of a 12-year, $64MM contract, in 2014. Even more were surprised when, nonetheless, Florida signed James Reimer to a five-year, $17MM contract on July 1st of last year. That move seems like it has partly been leading up to this point. While Luongo and Reimer each started 39 games in 2016-17 with very similar records, Reimer had the edge on Luongo in performance statistics. While this was their first season sharing the net, it is now the second season in a row in which Reimer has outplayed Luongo. It seems very unlikely that Florida will choose to protect the 38-year-old Luongo, who is under contract at $5.33MM per year until the age of 43, over the 29-year-old Reimer, with a more reasonable $3.4MM cap hit over that same span of time. Luongo will thus likely be one of the biggest names under contract and available to Vegas, but don’t expect a new team to take on that contract. Should they expose Reimer instead, the chances are much higher that the Knights will select a Panther goalie, but chances are both keepers are back in Florida next year regardless.
Among the forward corps, there is a lot to sort out. To get the easy ones out of the way, young scorers Jonathan Huberdeau, Vincent Trocheck, Aleksander Barkov, and Nick Bjugstad are almost surely safe. Assuming the Panthers go with the 7/3 scheme, that leaves them with three forwards left to protect. If they do go 8-skaters, then those four would represent all the protected forwards. After a breakout campaign in which he led the Panthers with 30 goals, 26-year-old Jonathan Marchessault is also highly likely to be protected. This leaves just two spots left for four valuable veteran forwards: Reilly Smith, Jussi Jokinen, Colton Sceviour, and captain Derek MacKenzie. Luckily for the Panthers, all four meet the qualifications (having played 70 games over the last two seasons or 40 games last season and be under contract) to meet the two-forward quota, so whoever the GM Dale Tallon wants he can have without having to consider other expansion criteria. With the free agent status of Jaromir Jagr up in the air, the leadership value of Jokinen and MacKenzie must be considered by a young Florida team. However, MacKenzie has not scored more than 20 points in a season since 2010-11 and is likely not of interest to Vegas and can be left unprotected. So who of Jokinen, Smith, and Sceviour will join him in the Draft? The 25-year-old Smith has the best chance to be the best producer for the longest amount of time in Florida. This also could be a way for the Panthers to dump the five-year, $25MM extension they signed him to last summer before it even begins. As he did with the Boston Bruins, Smith had a great first season with Florida in 2015-16, but just as he did in Boston, Smith fell off significantly in year two. The Panthers will have to re-sign Bjugstad and Marchessault and give non-entry level deals to Denis Malgin, Jared McCann, and others before that contract expires. Can they afford the weight of a $5MM annual cap hit for an average player? If Smith has scared them off, expect them to expose him and hope Vegas takes the risk. If not, it comes down to Jokinen and Sceviour. Again, the 33-year-old Jokinen has the leadership and experience and is just one year removed from a 60-point season. Sceviour can’t boast that kind of career production, but at $950K to Jokinen’s $4MM and Smith’s $5MM, he gets the Panthers more bang for their buck.
Defense is the real nightmare for Florida. Keith Yandle‘s No-Movement Clause makes him automatically protected, though he would be protected regardless after signing a seven-year deal last year that began with a nice 41-point season. Aaron Ekblad is also as close to a sure thing as their is in the Expansion Draft as far as protection. The 2015 Calder Trophy-winner struggled a bit last season, but is still a top pair defenseman at just 21 years old. That leaves defensive spot left in the 7/3 scheme and three stalwart defeseman to choose from: Jason Demers, Alex Petrovic, and Mark Pysyk. Unfortunately, unless circumstance change, Demers is out of the equation. With Yandle and Ekblad protected and Petrovic and Pysyk as restricted free agents, Demers is the only defenseman on the roster who can meet the 70-40 quota. It is possible for Florida to re-sign and expose Petrovic, Pysyk, or impending unrestricted free agent Jakub Kindl and then protect Demers, but their hesitation to do so yet seems to imply that they won’t be. Thus, Demers will be exposed and stands a very high chance of playing in Vegas next season. As for Petrovic verus Pysyk, both are similar in age and have great ability, but little to show for it on the score sheet early in their careers. The Panthers brass know best which 25-year-old fits best on the team, and likely both will remain in Florida, but don’t be surprised if they give the homegrown talent Petrovic the nod.
Projected Protection List
Scheme: 7F/3D/1G
Forwards
Jonathan Huberdeau
Vincent Trocheck
Aleksander Barkov
Nick Bjugstad
Jonathan Marchessault
Jussi Jokinen
Colton Sceviour
Defensemen
Keith Yandle (NMC)
Aaron Ekblad
Alex Petrovic
Goalie
Every team has a few risks that they must take in the Expansion Draft. As extraordinarily unlikely as it is, losing Luongo would be a blow and would cause the Panthers to have to change their off-season priorities to focus on helping Reimer in net. Smith being selected could come back to bite them if his $25MM deal pays off in Vegas. Being stripped of their captain would be rough on the locker room and they will likely hold out hope that there is no interest in MacKenzie. Having Pysyk taken from them after he was the centerpiece of last summer’s Dmitry Kulikov trade would feel like a waste.
So what sets Florida apart? Exposing Demers barely qualifies as a risk. The 28-year-old was one of the prizes of free agency last summer and just finished the first season of a relatively affordable five-year, $22.5MM deal. He scored 28 points this season, the second best campaign of his career and a level of production closer to that of his time back with the San Jose Sharks. He also has seen a steady climb in shooting percentage as the years have gone on and could easily break double digits next season, regardless of where he plays. However, the best thing about Demers for the Golden Knights is that he is a safe pick. He can lead their defense, can easily play 20+ minutes per night, can hit and block shots, and is signed long-term, meaning he can become a franchise player and potentially the team’s first captain. Unless the Panthers go 8-skaters or extend a current qualifying defenseman to then protect Demers, they face a real risk of losing a very solid player for nothing after just one year.
Minor Moves: Caamano, Wilcox, Ullmark
After previously signing Nicholas Caamano to an amateur tryout, the Dallas Stars have inked the prospect to a three-year entry-level deal. The contract will begin during the 2017-18 season, though Caamano is expected to go back to the OHL for next season. A fifth-round pick in 2016, Caamano put together his best season this year with 64 points in 67 games for the Flint Firebirds. Though they were knocked out of the playoffs early, it was a solid step for the development of the young forward.
Registering a point in his first AHL game, Caamano will unfortunately have to either make the NHL team or return to the OHL next year. His age restricts him from playing in the AHL. With some older players likely leaving the Firebirds for bigger and better things next season, Caamano should be counted on as their top offensive weapon. An increase in responsibility should benefit his growth, as the Stars look to turn a late-round pick into a professional player.
- The Florida Panthers have sent Adam Wilcox back to the AHL, signalling a return for James Reimer. Wilcox only backed up Reto Berra during his NHL stint, and will now return to the Thunderbirds where he had found a ton of success since being acquired at the trade deadline. Unfortunately, Springfield won’t be heading to the Calder Cup playoffs this year, meaning the end is close for Wilcox this season. The goaltender is a restricted free agent this summer for the first time, as his entry-level deal will expire.
- The Buffalo Sabres have also sent a goaltender back down, re-assigning Linus Ullmark to the AHL today. Anders Nilsson‘s injury had been deemed minor, and he should be back in net for one of the final two games this weekend. The Sabres face off against the Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning on back-to-back nights, ending what has been a frustrating season. Ryan O’Reilly put it into words yesterday when he told Joe Yerdon of NHL.com “it’s so frustrating coming to the rink right now. Practicing, there’s no purpose right now. You’re seeing other teams gearing up for the playoffs and seeing teams, like Toronto who’s young too, seeing them in the spot we should be in.”
Florida Panthers Recall Adam Wilcox On Emergency Basis
After James Reimer took a hard hit to the head from the Maple Leafs’ Brian Boyle on Tuesday night and had to leave the game, the team has now recalled another goaltender. Adam Wilcox, newly acquired from the Tampa Bay Lightning at the trade deadline, has been brought up for tonight’s game in Montreal. He’ll back up Reto Berra tonight.
Wilcox has found a new gear in Springfield since the trade, recording two shutouts and a .932 save percentage in nine games. The 24-year old still has plenty of upside, though as with most goaltenders it’s hard to project where they’ll be as they move through their twenties. Yet to make his debut, he might get a chance down the stretch if Reimer is held out for the rest of the year.
It wasn’t the first time Reimer has dealt with this sort of head injury. Back when he was a member of the Maple Leafs he suffered a similar head shot at the hands of Brian Gionta and the Montreal Canadiens. It took him 18 games to get back into the net, and even then didn’t look like himself for some time. Though the Panthers are technically still in a playoff race, they should shut Reimer down for the remainder of the season and protect their asset. The team signed him to a five-year deal in the offseason, and will hope he can take more and more load off Roberto Luongo—who is dealing with a lower-body injury—over the next few years.
Roberto Luongo Injured; Leaves Game
Update 7:15pm: Luongo has returned to the bench for the Florida Panthers, reports CPSJ’s Flyers reporter Dave Isaac. He is not expected to return to the net this evening.
Florida Panthers goaltender Roberto Luongo suffered a lower-body injury tonight in a game against the Philadelphia Flyers and will not return, reports the Sun Sentinel’s Harvey Fialkov. Luongo suffered the injury in the first period after making an awkward save. James Reimer started in goal for the Panthers in the second period. CSN’s Tim Pannacio speculates that Luongo pulled his groin.
Luongo’s injury halts a potential performance upswing for the veteran goalie. Tonight’s game marked the first time Luongo played in back-to-back games in over two weeks. The Panthers had been going with James Reimer as of late due to Luongo’s struggles and Reimer’s ability to right the ship. Luongo is not having his best season, going 17-15-6 in 39 games with a .914 SV% and a 2.70 GAA. Coincidentally, these mark Luongo’s worst stats since his final year with Florida in 2005-06 before being traded to the Vancouver Canucks. Conversely, Reimer has put together a 12-8-4 record in 26 games with a .919 SV% and a 2.47 GAA. Not significantly better numbers, mind you, but in the Eastern Conference’s tight playoff race, every edge matters.
If Reimer suffers an injury, the Panthers have two readily available—if unconventional—options. Goaltending coach Robb Tallas or forward Derek MacKenzie have both been emergency goaltending options in the past for Florida. Expect the Panthers to call up Reto Berra if they expect Luongo to miss some time. Berra currently plays for the AHL Springfield Thunderbirds and has a .910 SV% and 2.53 GAA in 31 games.