Goaltender Sam Montembeault has chosen to re-sign with the Florida Panthers. The value of the contract is unknown but we know it is a two way deal for one year. Montembeault, 24, has been a usable fringe backup for the Panthers so far in his young career. The 77th overall pick in 2015 has a career 25 games over 2 seasons. In those games, Montembeault has posted a serviceable 9-8-3 record, .892 save percentage and 3.20 goals against. Those numbers aren’t great but the Becancour, Quebec native is only 24 and has a lot of time to improve his game. The pressure is on for Montembeault as 19 year old Spencer Knight is coming down the pipeline.
The 6-foot-3, 199-pound Quebec native has played in 91 career AHL games, accumulating a 31-44-16 record, a .901 save percentage, 3.21 goals-against average and four shutouts.
Future of Montembeault and the Panthers
With the 56 game season ahead, rosters are allowed three goalies. The 24 year old has a very good opportunity ahead because of the situation. If Sergei Bobrovsky’s play does not improve over the course of the season, he could be looking at 20-25 games over the 56 game season. The 1 year deal is a safety net for the young goaltender Spencer Knight. Knight was the 13th overall pick in 2019 and was the first goalie drafted. Goalies take a little while longer to develop compared to skaters, but Knight seems to be right on the cusp of competing for an NHL roster spot. The Panthers also have backup goalie Chris Dridger who actually performed well last season. Could Knight compete for Montembeault’s role in the Panther’s lineup? Only time will tell.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Montembeault has a perfect opportunity to make the Panthers lineup and be an impactful player for them. But, he doesn’t have very much time as he is being closely chased by a much younger goalie with a lot of potential to crack the Panther’s very soon in Spencer Knight. With the World Juniors right around the corner, and Knight in them for Team USA, are Montembeault’s days in Florida numbered? With the one year contract, is this it? Will we see the Becancour native play closer to home in the future? We can only wait and see.