Florida Panthers: Evaluating the Goaltending Position this Past Season
Roberto Luongo
In his fifth season since returning to Florida, Luongo had yet another injury riddled year. In fact, this was the least amount of games Luongo has played in as a starter, not taking into account the shortened season in 2012-13. Perhaps, if Luongo had been healthy for the entire year, the Panthers would’ve made the playoffs.
When Luongo was in the net, for the most part, he was stellar. He finished with a record of 18-11-2 and had a SV% of .929 and a GAA of 2.47. Roberto was key part of why the Panthers were able to keep up their late season push towards the postseason.
Although the Panthers ultimately fell short of their goal, Luongo showed that when healthy, he is still an elite goaltender in this league. Roberto is getting up there in age, but if he can remain healthy for the entire campaign next year, he should get another opportunity to play in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Besides the fact that Luongo is still the Panthers’ #1 goalie, he held many accomplishments this season. He played in his 1,000th NHL game this season which is simply remarkable for a goaltender. The fact that Luongo has been able to last this long in this gruesome league and at the level that which he plays at is simply amazing.
Luongo also delivered a heartfelt and touching message at the Panthers’ home game against the Washington Capitals right after the tragedy at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. It was in a moment like this where we realized that Luongo is not only an incredible goaltender, but an even more incredible person. The Panthers’ organization and fans are blessed to have Luongo as their goaltender, and even more blessed to know how involved and how much of an impact he makes in the South Florida community.
Luongo will return as the starting goaltender for the Panthers next season, and hopefully will be able to get another chance at winning a Stanley Cup.