Florida Panthers: Where they turn next after the Roberto Luongo injury

On Monday night, the Florida Panthers lost their goaltender, Roberto Luongo, to what seems like a long-term injury. What happens next for the Panthers?

After Luongo had been sidelined earlier this year due to a hand injury, he came back better than ever and was a big part in the Panthers playing more consistent hockey. It seemed that Luongo was operating at full health, and the Panthers would be able to rely on his stellar goaltending to not only hold the lead for them, but to single handily win games for them. All that vanished as Luongo went down in a huge amount of pain after he stopped a shot with his right pad.

While nothing is confirmed yet, it’s likely that Luongo will miss an extended period of time this season. For Luongo, due to his age, this could possibly determine if his goaltending days may be over, or if he will make yet another comeback and return to guard the cage. Regardless of what happens to Luongo career wise, the Panthers will be missing him in the net for some period of time; if not for the entire rest of the season.

Obviously, this is a big loss for the Cats. They have relied on Luongo’s stellar goaltending this entire season, and by losing him, it could completely destroy any possibility of the Panthers having a chance of at least making a postseason push.

Hopefully for Roberto’s health and for the Panthers’ season, he will be able to return soon, but the Panthers must quickly think about their future for this season, and for the seasons down the road. So, what are the possible options for the Panthers moving forward? Let’s take a look.

When the Panthers signed James Reimer to a long term contract last offseason, it was obvious that the Cats were expecting to mold Reimer eventually into a starting role once Luongo would retire. Reimer had been in a similar situation with the Toronto Maple Leafs before, but he also never solidified himself as the starting goalie as he only started a maximum of 35 games while in his rookie season.

At least for this season (unless the Panthers pull off a mega trade), it seems like it will be Reimer’s job to guard the net. So far, through 14 games, Reimer has struggled. He’s gone 4-6-3, holds a goal against average (GAA) of 3.67, and a save percentage (SV%) of .892. If Reimer keeps this up, the Panthers season will continue to crumble.