Though he broke the news himself yesterday, Ryan Bednard had to wait for the Florida Panthers to officially announce his two-year entry-level contract today. The deal will begin in the 2019-20 season, ending Bednard’s college career after three seasons at Bowling Green State University.
The 22-year old goaltender was selected in the seventh round of the 2015 draft and has slowly seen his stock rise over the years. Standing 6’5″ he was a work in progress as a younger netminder, but put it all together this season for Bowling Green. With a record of 20-8-4 and a .927 save percentage he was one of the most impressive goaltenders in the entire country, and he’ll now make the jump to professional hockey with plenty of experience.
Where he fits into the Florida depth chart however is unclear. The entire position actually for the Panthers has some question marks, as there has been plenty of speculation that the team will try and attract top free agent Sergei Bobrovsky in the offseason. If they do go after a big fish like that, where does that leave current NHL netminders Roberto Luongo and James Reimer, who both have several years left on their current contracts? Then there is young Sam Montembeault who has shown solid promise but hasn’t had the results at the professional level yet.
Most likely Bednard will take up residence with the Springfield Thunderbirds next season, but he’ll quickly try to show that he has potential beyond just the AHL.