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According to @MoneyPuckdotcom
, Spencer Knight leads all NHL goaltenders in Goals Saved Above Expected.Happy Friday…Spencer Knight GSVA
Thanks, Frenchy!
I am glad (along with the rest of us “Buzz-bums”) that we are here with you!
Appeciate you,
Wiz
I wrote an article about him… few months ago
Spencer Knight — The Toughest Save of His Life
Let’s be honest — sometimes the biggest battles aren’t on the ice.
In February 2023, Spencer Knight made a decision that took more courage than any glove save. He stepped away from hockey to take care of himself. The Panthers announced he had entered the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program, and just like that, the young goalie disappeared from the lineup.
No one knew the full story at first. But behind the scenes, Knight was fighting something real — Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.
The Pressure Behind the Mask
Knight was supposed to be Florida’s goalie of the future — first-round pick, 13th overall in 2019, calm, confident, ready for the spotlight.
But underneath all that, he was struggling with constant, intrusive thoughts that wouldn’t go away.He talked later about it: the hand-washing, the fear of contamination, the rituals that took over his mind. It started back at Boston College, but by 2023 it got worse.
After one game in Winnipeg, he said he felt like he was “spiraling in a direction I didn’t want to go.”That’s when he made the hardest call of his young career — to ask for help.
Stepping Away to Get Better
On February 24, 2023, Knight entered the league’s assistance program.
It meant time away from the Panthers, away from the noise, and away from the pressure to perform.But it also meant something bigger — a chance to breathe again.
He said later that it was about “getting back to being himself,” and that simple idea is powerful.He didn’t quit. He reset.
The Comeback
When Knight returned to the ice a few months later for development camp, you could see it in his smile — the joy was back.
He told reporters, “It’s just fun to get back in the swing of things.”That line says it all.
Sometimes the game can swallow you up. Sometimes you need to step back to find your love for it again.Now, Knight’s story is no longer just about hockey — it’s about resilience, mental strength, and breaking the stigma around mental health in sports.
More Than a Goalie
Spencer Knight’s courage reminds us that even the best athletes are human.
Behind every save and every celebration, there’s a person trying to keep it together — just like the rest of us.He didn’t just make a comeback on the ice. He made one in life.
And maybe that’s the most important save he’ll ever make.There IS a age difference in Knight and Askarov, and good eye on the “cossack”…he is a scrambler, and some golaies through the ages HAVE succeed using their explosive reaction speed to stand ground in spots that don’t position him well in regards to be able to cover the entire home plate area.
Askarov may end up being that guy.The two things Placzek ponders is
Why was Nashville so ready to move on from him?
(His trade departure didn’t solidy a Predator’s Cup but did it get a star back in his place?)
And on Spencer Knight:
Is coming alobg as starter, and since I need someone else to post the question to The Athletic’s Powers, since they banned me from posting there.Spencer Knight took a psch leave and I believe it was framed to the press that he had an OCD issue.
I would like to know a bit more on that, since it might be performance-related, not him making sure his labubus are in a perfect line on the shelf.
Wiz
And yea AssMan, Askarov plays as low as any goalie you’ll ever see. He’s, anyone is, more explosive from an extreme crouch than a more upright stance but that’s his game.. Not sure how much you can take that outa his game but his athleticism is good enough for any style.
But, now your talking about more of a project than a player who has an established foundation.. … Needless to say I’m a Knight guy not so much that he stops pucks but the way he stops them. It’s sustainable whereas with the Cossack you’re gonna have to fix some things first than hope it takes.
