After a year shortened because of injuries, Roberto Luongo’s role in-goal next year will likely change with the Florida Panthers. Let’s jump in and see where Luongo’s future is headed.
Currently at 38 years of age, Roberto is currently still an active goalie in the NHL. Question is, how much longer will Luongo remain in the league for? Answer is, not much longer. The Florida Panthers will have “at best” three more seasons if lucky of Roberto Luongo dressing as a Florida Panther.
As we saw this year, it’s clear that James Reimer is our starting goaltender and should be starting next season. So where does Roberto fit into the mix? Roberto will likely or if not become our backup goalie starting next season. After going down with a lower body injury and missing half of the season, James Reimer stepped up and held the fort down pretty tight. In fact, Reimer stole quite a few games for us and played extremely well during the season.
Age and health are the two biggest factor headed towards Roberto’s new role here in Florida. Seeing that Luongo is slowly declining (as expected), he won’t be able to play anywhere near a full 82 game season. If Roberto can split at least half the games with Reimer and become his backup, then the Panthers are honestly in a great position going forward with goaltending. Yes, Roberto may be a bit much for a “backup goaltender”, but the Cats have done well to stay underneath the cap. Cap space shouldn’t be a problem in the foreseeable future, at the very least.
Roberto Luongo is more than capable to become a backup goalie in the NHL. In fact, he’d likely be the best goalie out of all the backup’s in the league, statistically speaking. There is no question that the Panthers would have a great tandem going forward between Luo and Reimer. As long as our defense holds up in games, there isn’t a reason why both Luongo and Reimer can’t take us far next season. Both goalies are capable of stealing games when needed.
Next: Jared McCann’s First Season With The Florida Panthers Ends On A High Note
Heading into the upcoming expansion draft, it’s likely that the Cats will protect James Reimer, leaving Roberto Luongo unprotected. It’s highly unlikely that Las Vegas would choose Roberto as one of their goaltenders, considering his cap hit and age. Vegas will most likely choose a goalie who’s younger and cheaper. I wouldn’t worry about Luongo being taken in the expansion draft.
In regards, Roberto has always been a “fan favorite” down here in Sunrise, Florida. He’s been with the team for a respectable amount of time and we’ve seen him grow over the years. Seeing Luo take the backup position next season may feel a little weird for most of us. However, if it leads to Reimer catching lightning in a bottle (hot form) and us winning more games with both our goalies fresh, then I’m all for it.