Jordan Binnington Links Stir Florida Panthers Goalie Debate
The florida panthers are being linked to Jordan Binnington, but the fit comes with plenty of baggage. Florida finished last season 40-38-4 with 84 points, and its situation in net is unsettled with Sergei Bobrovsky and Daniil Tarasov expected to hit free agency.
Binnington And Florida Panthers
Binnington is a possible goaltending option for Bill Zito, but the case against the move is just as direct as the case for it. The Blues netminder helped St. Louis win its first Stanley Cup in 2019, yet his recent numbers and on-ice behavior raise obvious concerns for a team trying to stabilize its crease.
Last season, he won 13 games in 41 games and posted a career-worst 3.33 goals-against average with a.873 save percentage. That followed a 2021 shortened season in which he finished with a 2.65 goals-against average and a.910 save percentage through 41 starts, and a 2.56 goals-against average with a.912 save percentage the season after his title run.
Spencer Knight Trade Context
Florida already changed its depth chart once last season, trading Spencer Knight to the Chicago Blackhawks for defenseman Seth Jones and a first-round pick in this year's draft. That pick is top ten protected, so the club did not just move a young goaltender; it also added another asset while keeping some draft protection in place.
The Panthers now have to decide whether another move in goal is worth the cost. Bobrovsky and Tarasov are both expected to reach free agency, which leaves the club weighing a market that includes a veteran with championship pedigree but also a track record that includes a two-game suspension in 2022-23 after nearly starting a brawl with the Minnesota Wild and a heated exchange with Jim Montgomery this season after being pulled in the first period against the Anaheim Ducks.
Jordan Binnington Profile
Binnington's peak remains real. In 2019, he posted a.927 save percentage, 24 wins, five shutouts and a 1.89 goals-against average in the regular season, then followed it with 16 wins, a 2.46 goals-against average and a.914 save percentage in the postseason as the Blues won their first-ever Stanley Cup.
That version of him is the appeal. The version Florida has to evaluate now is the one that finished last season with 13 wins in 41 games and has repeatedly shown how quickly a goaltending change can turn into a gamble. For a Panthers team already facing free agency questions at the position, Binnington would be a swing, not a safe play.
