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Spencer Knight To Enter NHLPA Player Assistance Program

Christopher Bagdonas / NHL / February 24, 2023

Spencer Knight To Take Personal Leave Of Absence

Spencer Knight is going to be away from hockey for some time. The Florida Panthers goaltender is entering the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program until further notice. It has been an up and down season for the former college standout. The nature of his absence is unknown and the league and team announced that he will be sidelined indefinitely. Under the terms of the program, Knight will still receive his salary from the Panthers while getting the help he needs.

More About Knight

The 13th pick of the 2019 Draft initially had a great start to life in Florida. He won all four of his starts near the end of the 2020-2021 season and even started two games in the playoffs against Tampa Bay. However, he has jumped up and down from the NHL and AHL recently. Things tapered off slightly after many expected him to take the reins in net from the struggling Sergei Bobrovsky. The 21-year-old still has plenty of time to make it in the NHL and I am sure everyone in the league is pulling for him to be back on the ice as soon as possible.

Knight has also struggled with health in recent months. The Panthers have sent him to multiple conditioning stints in the AHL. However, unfortunately, his game is not at the level where he hopes it could be. In particular, Knight dealt with a non-COVID illness in December. Since returning his record has been really tough. 1-4-0 with a .853 save percentage and 4.58 goals against average. The Panthers remain in the playoff race in the Eastern Conference, so it would be awesome to see Spencer Knight return in the near future for this team to really hit their stride.

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Everyone is rooting for Spencer Knight. With a career record of 32-17-6, there is no doubt he has plenty of talent. This is something that’s bigger and the game itself and should be treated very seriously. Can’t wait to see you back and better than ever Spencer.

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