Florida Panthers: Sufficient Backup Netminding is What’s Expected From Sam Montembeault

Heading into what’s going to be his first full NHL season, Florida Panthers netminder Sam Montembeault will need to provide sufficient goaltending as a second-stringer.

At 22-years-old, Sam Montembeault will be among one of the youngest backup goaltenders in the NHL during the 2019-20 season.

With only 11 NHL games under his belt, Montembeault will be doing a lot of learning on the fly, but will also have veteran Sergei Bobrovsky as a mentor to look to for support and guidance.

As the Florida Panthers aim for nothing short of the playoffs this year, they, of course, will need stellar netminding from their starter in Sergei Bobrovsky, but will also need adequate performances from their backup in Sam Montembeault.

Sergei Bobrovsky will unquestionably start the majority of the games, but it’s Montembeault who’s going to be viewed as his reliever when he has a bad game or needs a night off.

The backup position should not be overlooked for its generic title alone. Every team that goes on a deep playoff run or wins the Stanley Cup has a formidable duo that keeps them in any game on any given night.

The Panthers, who once had Roberto Luongo and James Reimer as their goalie tandem, were not quite successful as those other teams as the aforementioned two struggled to stay healthy, with the latter failing to provide any reliable/consistent presence when called upon.

Now with Bobrovsky and Montembeault at the helm, the two will be working the cages as the Panthers’ new goalie tandem. Having that new blood injected should spark new life in Florida’s core, and should also bring more expected wins than the previous duo.

For it to work, the two will have to be able to trust each other. More importantly, though, when Montembeault is called to step in to play, he needs to be ready the moment that puck is dropped.

Even extending past that, he needs to ensure that he’s giving his team enough stops and saves to keep them in the game and in the lead.

As well, while providing sufficient service, he will be giving Bobrovsky some much-needed rest as the 30-year-old will be carrying the bulk of the workload.

While backups are primarily known for providing their starters with nights off, make no mistake, the Panthers will and should expect to win when Montembeault is chosen to start in goal.

The Panthers cannot afford to drop any easy games this year, regardless of who’s in goal. Montembeault will be viewed as any goalie (despite his role) and will be expected to lead his team to two points on his chosen night.

If the Florida Panthers are going to ensure that playoffs are not only a possibility, but a reality by the end of the year, then goaltender Sam Montembeault is not only going to have to embrace his role as a backup, but he’s going to have to provide the Cats with the best possible chance of winning when he’s in net.

Anything short of that will be deemed as a failure. However, if his 11 games from last season were of any indication of what he’ll be this season, then the Panthers should be fairly confident in their youngster as a backup.

As important as Bobrovsky may be, Montembeault is just as important when you look at the grand scheme of things. The Panthers need strong play from both their netminders, including Sam Montembeault, who will likely play in thirty or so games.