Going from the defending Stanley Cup Champions to the 31st-place team in the NHL can’t be an easy pill to swallow for any player. But for a guy with an opportunity to be a No. 1 starter, it might be worth it in the end.
That’s what goaltender Spencer Knight is facing now as he arrives with the Chicago Blackhawks as part of the trade that sent Seth Jones to the Florida Panthers.
A former 13th-overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, the expectations on Spencer Knight as soon as he turned pro with the Panthers organization was to be the next great goalie for the Panthers.
But the immediate success didn’t go exactly as planned. He never took over the starting role in his opportunities with the team, and Sergei Bobrovsky continued to hold onto that No. 1 role with the Panthers and was a big part of their rise to the first Stanley Cup in franchise history.
Needless to say, Knight’s path to reaching his full potential was blocked.
That’s not the case now, coming to the rebuilding Blackhawks.
“I didn’t really have any words,” Knight said in his first media scrum in Chicago on Monday morning. “But you talk to some people close to you, and you move on and keep moving forward. I’m lucky to come to a great organization and be in a great place with really good groups of people. I’m excited.”
Knight, 23, will have the opportunity in Chicago to realize his No. 1 potential, with the organizational depth in Chicago still open to interpretation among the goalies now and in the future.
Without question, Knight coming to the Blackhawks takes him instantly to the front of the line when it comes to the four goaltenders they had pegged to be in the NHL this season along with Arvid Söderblom, Petr Mrázek, and the injured Laurent Brossoit. Mrázek and Brossoit are signed through next season, and Söderblom is an RFA this summer.
There are decisions to be made about the goaltender position moving forward, maybe as early as this Friday. While Knight is also only signed through next season, there’s no way the Blackhawks bring him back as the marquee acquisition in the Jones trade without making him the future in net.
There won’t be long to wait to see what Knight can do for the Blackhawks as he is set to start tonight against the LA Kings in what will be his 24th game played this season and his 104th in his NHL career.
“It was kind of my decision,” Knight said ahead of his Blackhawks debut on Monday. “I just want to play.”
