Journey to Chicago: How Spencer Knight joined the Blackhawks

The Chicago Blackhawks traded for Spencer Knight and a first-round pick last March, when the team sent Seth Jones to the Florida Panthers.

For the Blackhawks, trading away Jones was the turning of the page on an underwhelming era in team history. Jones, now a Stanley Cup Champion, never left his mark in Chicago and the team going into a full rebuild right as his contract started didn't help.

Just trading Seth Jones was big for the Blackhawks, but getting Knight back in return was a definitive win as the Blackhawks got a goaltender who could be their next franchise netminder. Let's take a look at his journey to Chicago.

Blackhawks goaltender Spencer Knight has long been one of the top young goalies in the NHL.

The Florida Panthers drafted Spencer Knight with the 13th overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft. Knight, who grew up in Connecticut stands at 6 foot 3 inches and at just 24 years old has a lot of NHL experience.

After getting drafted, Knight impressed with Boston College in two seasons he registered a .931 save percentage in 2019-20 and a .932 save percentage in 2020-21.

Knight made the jump to the NHL early, and in four games with the Panthers near the end of the 2020-21 NHL Season, Knight registered a 2.32 goals against average and a save percentage of .919—not bad numbers for a rookie.

Knight, who won his first NHL game in a 5-1 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets, made his NHL debut just a day after his 20th birthday. He was the first goalie born in the 2000s to play in an NHL game and the youngest Panthers goalie to record a win.

Before the Panthers became back to back Stanley Cup Champions and went to the Finals three years in a row, there was a stretch where it seemed like Knight was the Panthers starter over Sergei Bobrovsky.

Bobrovsky eventually found his game, and around the same time Knight's playing time diminished as he started to lose his game. It's important to remember just how young Knight was. Even though he has played in 95 NHL games he is still only 24—which is young for anyone especially an NHL goaltender.

In February 2023, Knight stepped away from the Florida Panthers to receive care from the NHL's player assistance program. After missing the rest of the 2022-23 NHL Season, Knight opened up about his battles with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) ahead of the 2023-24 NHL Season.

The promising young goalie spent the next season in the AHL with the Charlotte Checkers, rediscovering his game after missing time. Knight was back with the Panthers to start last season, and in 23 games, he registered a 2.40 goals against average and a save percentage of .907—both improvements from his last go around in the NHL.

The Panthers' decision to trade Knight had to do with looming salary cap issues as a Stanley Cup Champion. The Panthers could not afford to hang onto Knight, carrying a cap hit of $4.5 million, but that doesn't mean he doesn't have a bright future ahead of him.

Knight now joins the Blackhawks with a fresh start. Most NHL goalies at Knight's age would be making their NHL debut about now, and with the Hawks, he gets to join a young team looking to build something special.

Now entering a contract year, Spencer Knight is back in the NHL. With Arvid Soderblom, Drew Commesso, and even Laurent Brossoit signed for the 2025-26 NHL Season, Knight is the starter of a crowded goalie depth chart in Chicago—but he has all season to show Kyle Davidson and the organization just how could he can be.

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