Breaking: Panthers make surprising expansion decision

Is the picture any clearer in the crease now?

HockeyFeed
HockeyFeed
Published 6 years ago
Breaking: Panthers make surprising expansion decision
Keystone Press

In a surprising move, Florida Panthers general manager Dale Tallon has elected to protect 38 year-old goaltender Roberto Luongo in the upcoming NHL Expansion Draft, leaving 29 year-old James Reimer exposed and eligible to be selected by the Vegas Golden Knights.

The news comes from a report courtesy of Panthers beat writer Harvey Fialkov:


While the other selections are in line with what fans and analysts have been speculating all along, the Luongo choice is a curious one. Despite being the team’s all-time leader in almost every statistical category for his position, Luongo is nearly 40 years old and carries an annual cap hit for the Panthers of roughly $4.5 million through 2021-22. With Reimer nearly 10 years younger and signed to a much more palatable contract, it was thought that the Panthers might move forward with him as their man. Evidently not, however.

For what it’s worth, Luongo has shown that age hasn’t affected his game like it has with some other goaltenders. The lanky butterfly-style goaltender relies on his tremendous reach, flexibility and ability to read the play to make saves. He’s had a healthy career, so injury issues, as is the concern for most players in their late 30’s, are not really a concern for Luongo.

Whatever your feelings are on the potential future Hall of Famer, he’s not going anywhere anytime soon.