The Toronto Maple Leafs may have been aggressively pursuing Mack Guzda, but they didn’t land him. The Florida Panthers have agreed to terms with the undrafted free agent goaltender to a three-year entry-level contract, winning the sweepstakes that included more than a dozen NHL teams. Panthers GM Bill Zito released a statement on his newest prospect:
Guzda has been a standout goaltender in the Ontario Hockey League this season. We are excited about his growth and are thrilled that he will continue his development in our organization.
The Pittsburgh Penguins, Nashville Predators, New York Rangers, Carolina Hurricanes, New York Islanders, and Anaheim Ducks were all included in the teams that had shown interest in the 6’5″ goaltender, who has a .925 save percentage 16 appearances for the Barrie Colts this season. It’s been a steady progression for Guzda, who was a very inconsistent talent in his early OHL years, leading him to go undrafted completely each time he was eligible.
An entry-level deal is more than some late-round picks get though, so he’s already ahead of some of those lucky enough to be selected in the NHL draft. Because of his age, that three-year deal will kick in right away, meaning he’s scheduled for restricted free agency following the 2023-24 season. He recently did a one-on-one with Mark Masters of TSN, explaining what he thinks has led to his breakout campaign:
My dad is a goalie coach for the Seattle Thunderbirds now, so [during the canceled 2020-21 OHL season] I was with him just about every day on the ice. Looking over video, all the goals I gave up over the last couple of years, trying to find any patterns. I was able to rebuild parts of my game, which has helped out a lot.
Of course, the team he decided on certainly doesn’t have a lack of netminding. The Panthers have Sergei Bobrovsky signed to a massive contract that runs through 2025-26 and top prospect Spencer Knight fighting to take over the crease. That said, they also have one of the best goaltenders in NHL history to help his development as Roberto Luongo runs the Panthers’ “goaltending excellence” department. That’s likely a big selling point for a player that is still quite a distance from seeing NHL action and will need more coaching to bring out the most of his potential.
So, the package for Jacob Chychrun will be built around Spencer Knight, then?
@Gavin – If you’ve ever heard of or read the late B. Kliban, you might see the humor of “undrafted completely.”
“Joe” – What happened to that guy over there? Did he lose everything in the stock market?
“Jim” – No, he was only partially undrafted. He’s in limbo now.
“Joe” – Sounds like so many Leafs goalie picks over the last 10 years, or so. They wish they had gone undrafted, completely.
If I ran the Leafs,I’d make a pitch for Knight.
A 2022 1st & the Russian prospect might get it done. Robertson as well.
This is a need,not a luxury.
Yes. And maybe throw in Matthews and Marner is they get turned down. C’mon Dubas get it done.