Panthers extend Cooper Black, preserve goaltending depth in Charlotte
Florida kept 6-foot-8 Cooper Black in the fold through 2027-28 after a 25-win AHL season, betting his Charlotte run can grow beyond depth insurance.
Florida did not just sign away another offseason question in goal. By giving Cooper Black a two-year, two-way extension through the 2027-28 season, the Panthers kept one of their most imposing and most advanced goaltending bets in the organization as the crease behind Sergei Bobrovsky and Daniil Tarasov remains fluid.
Bill Zito announced the deal on June 8, and the numbers show why Florida wanted the control. Black, who is 24 and was born in Alpena, Michigan, is listed at 6-foot-8 by the Charlotte Checkers and 6-foot-9 on TheAHL.com. PuckPedia lists the extension at $1.75 million over two seasons, with an $875,000 cap hit per year. For a club trying to preserve NHL insurance without clogging the depth chart, that is a manageable price for a goalie who already carried a heavy AHL load.
Black spent most of the 2025-26 season in Charlotte and gave the Checkers exactly what a development system wants from a young starter. In 42 regular-season games, he went 25-13-4 with a 2.47 goals-against average, a .903 save percentage and one shutout. He added three Calder Cup playoff appearances, finishing 1-2 with a 2.16 GAA and a .892 save percentage. Across two seasons with Charlotte, Black has 36 wins, 18 losses and five overtime losses, along with a 2.37 GAA, a .903 save percentage and four shutouts.
That production matters because Florida has not viewed Black as a throw-in prospect. The Panthers first signed him to a two-year entry-level contract on April 2, 2024, after he left Dartmouth College and gave up his remaining NCAA eligibility. Dartmouth had listed him as a finalist for the Ken Dryden ECAC Goaltender of the Year Award, and his move to pro hockey has followed a steady climb rather than a sudden breakout. In his first pro season, he played 17 games for Charlotte and seven for the Savannah Ghost Pirates, then seized the heavier AHL workload a year later.
Charlotte coach Geordie Kinnear said the Checkers finished fourth in goals against in the AHL with two rookie goaltenders, and Black’s year was a major part of that result. The Checkers also said he led rookie AHL goaltenders in wins and minutes played and ranked fourth among all AHL goaltenders in wins. That is the profile Florida is protecting now: not just a big body in the system, but a goalie who has already proved he can take a starter’s share.
The next checkpoint is clear. Black has to turn volume into consistency, sharpen his playoff numbers, and show he can hold Charlotte’s crease again if needed. If he does that, Florida will have more than organizational depth. It will have a legitimate NHL option waiting behind Bobrovsky’s line.
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