When you think of teams ripe with goaltending talent, we’re betting the Florida Panthers don’t immediately come to mind. They should though. Sure you know about the league’s most underrated goalie Tomas Vokoun and his backup Scott Clemmensen would be recalled by Devils and Boston College fans alike. What you don’t know is that their farm system is teeming with talent. Between Swedish import Jakob Markstrom, Hobey Baker finalist Marc Cheverie, former second round pick Tyler Plante and Czech Republic youngster Alexander Salak.
With that much goaltending and just three teams to spread it around to, that makes times tough all around for everyone and for the Panthers, they’re making room by loaning Alexander Salak to Farjestad of the Swedish Elite League. Salak spent most of last season playing in the AHL for Rochester but with Markstrom making his way to North America this year and Tyler Plante already in place in Rochester and Salak’s chances of making the NHL squad, taking a year away to play in Sweden works out best for him as he’ll get the playing time he’ll need to continue developing. He’ll also get to continue his skills of taunting opposing fans, like he did in a game against the Syracuse Crunch this past season.
Salak boosted his record to 6-0 against the Crunch this year, in-between mocking a goal judge, taunting Crunch players and then rubbing the win in fans’ faces by skating off with the exaggerated fist pumps of a goalie who had just won the Calder Cup.
“Better to be villain than hero here,” Salak said. “Why not (celebrate)? We won the game. They (the fans) were getting all over us. We can celebrate for 10 seconds then.”