Panthers Sign AHL Goaltender Louis Domingue to One-Year Two-Way Deal

The Florida Panthers signed 33-year-old goaltender Louis Domingue to a one-year, two-way contract for the remainder of the 2025-26 season, bolstering emergency depth behind Sergei Bobrovsky and Daniil Tarasov. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Domingue began this season in the KHL with Sibir Novosibirsk, appearing in 11 games and posting an 0-9-0 record with a .892 save percentage and a 3.83 goals-against average. He obtained a release from Novosibirsk and signed an AHL deal with the Charlotte Checkers around Thanksgiving before earning the NHL two-way contract with Florida.

With Charlotte this season Domingue has a 3-3-0 record and is reported to have a roughly .831 save percentage and a 3.20 GAA in seven outings, though Daily Faceoff’s Ben Steiner lists six AHL games with the same 3-3-0 record, a discrepancy likely due to differing stat cutoffs. ProHockeyRumors adds that Domingue has “suited up just four times since the New Year,” highlighting how sporadic his recent game action has been, and Steiner notes a rare AHL goalie fight when Domingue squared off with Will Cranley against the Springfield Thunderbirds.

Domingue’s résumé is extensive. A Quebec native, he was a fifth-round pick in the 2010 NHL Draft, 138th overall by the Phoenix Coyotes, and turned pro in 2012 after four QMJHL seasons with the Moncton Wildcats and Québec Remparts. He has appeared in 144 NHL games with a 61-60-10 record, a .906 save percentage and a 3.01 GAA, and he has played 233 AHL games with a .905 save percentage and a 2.82 GAA. Domingue has logged NHL time with the Arizona Coyotes, Tampa Bay Lightning, New Jersey Devils, Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames, Pittsburgh Penguins and most recently the New York Rangers, and he has suited up for 17 teams across the NHL, AHL, ECHL and KHL since 2012.

The timing of the signing is tactical. Florida now has Domingue under an NHL contract in addition to Bobrovsky and Tarasov — a move Ben Steiner framed as adding a third NHL-contracted goalie — while ProHockeyRumors lays out a practical depth chart that places Domingue essentially fifth behind Bobrovsky, Tarasov, AHL starter Cooper Black and AHL backup Kirill Gerasimyuk. With Sergei Bobrovsky’s name linked to trade chatter and as a pending unrestricted free agent, the Panthers appear to be adding low-cost insurance while navigating a deadline that sources say finds Florida slipping from playoff contention.

Administrative details matter: ProHockeyRumors reports that Domingue would need to clear waivers to be assigned back to AHL Charlotte, and if the Panthers placed him on waivers today he would not count against Florida’s active NHL roster. The club has precedent for late-season emergency signings; ProHockeyRumors cites past use of Evan Cormier as a similar insurance move.

Domingue’s arrival gives Florida a veteran option with a long, itinerant resume and immediate roster flexibility as the team weighs deadline decisions. ProHockeyRumors even offered a lighter note about the new signee: "Dear Louis: Please remember to stay away from the spicy pork & broccoli. Signed, Some of your friends at PHR.