To win a stanley cup in the modern day NHL you need two very talented forwards, a cornerstone defenseman and an elite goalie. The Panthers have more than they need up front led by youngsters Sasha Barkov, Jonathan Huberdeau and Vincent Trocheck. At D the Panthers have the suddenly turned from offensive into two way cornerstone defenseman Aaron Ekblad. In net they have Luongo. But Roberto is hurt in a key part of the season. He will be out for at least a week (my gut says he returns on March 19th). However, James Reimer is red hot and coming to the rescue. Reimer or Optimus Reim was signed to a 5 year deal, a rarity for a backup goalie, but Reimer isn’t just a backup. He is a 1B goalie. He is ranked fifth in the league in games played for a backup/1B goalie. He was a great signing, it just took him a while to get adjusted in South Florida. Reimer may get a shot if the Panthers make the playoffs. My prediction is that he will become the starter in 2018-19. He has a .922 Save Percentage. Reto Berra will back him up. Reimer played well in Philadelphia but he was tired in the shootout. He faced 35 shots in a span of 45 minutes. Reimer, like Luongo gets tired if he plays back to backs, so I wouldn’t be suprised to see Reto Berra play aganist the Wild or Lightning next week.