Florida Panthers Get Their Guy in Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky

It’s been just over a week since the Florida Panthers found their guy and signed their new starting netminder in Sergei Bobrovsky.

Whatever your thoughts may be on free agency and how it played out, you must admit that the Florida Panthers arguably addressed their biggest concern by winning the Sergei Bobrovsky sweepstakes.

In all fairness, while Bobrovsky is arguably a top-five (certainly top ten) goaltender in this league, he didn’t have a lot of attraction this summer. Some can allude that to his underwhelming play this past season, while others may point to his age (30).

Regardless, as the best goaltender on the open market this summer, the Cats had no choice but to pursue this route and sign a No. 1 goaltender once and for all.

After all was said and done, Bobrovsky put pen to paper, signing with the Panthers on a seven-year deal worth $10M annually with a no-move clause (NMC) in the first five years of his deal, with the remaining two holding a Modified NMC and NTC.

You’re probably wondering: is he eligible for June’s 2021 Seattle Expansion Draft? The answer to that would be no.

Bobrovsky would approach the Expansion Draft at the end of the second year of his contract, and because of his NMC, it denies him exposure from being selected, which ultimately means the Panthers will have to protect him.

By that time, Bobrovsky will be 32 and barring any foreseeable injuries that may occur, he should still remain serviceable as a starting netminder.

As well, the Panthers (at that time) should also be competing and really can’t afford to lose their No. 1. After all, youngster Spencer Knight won’t be ready by then and will still need a couple of more seasons to fully develop.

Based on goaltender’s age curve and Bobrovsky’s injury history, there’s no reason why he shouldn’t be able to give the Panthers a solid four-five seasons worth of play.

That’s essentially the window the Panthers have at competing for the cup and so long as GM Dale Tallon continues to add pieces to this puzzle, the Panthers should have a good shot at going far with Bobrovsky manning the pipes.

Bobrovsky’s deal may hold too much term and a little too much in dollar; however, the Panthers were faced at a crossroad, looking to make their next decision on who’d guard the crease.

Spencer Knight, while talented and promising, is nowhere near ready to step into NHL action. Sam Montembeault, while older and more experienced than the aforementioned Knight, isn’t good enough to take the reigns as an everyday starter in the NHL.

What does this leave Florida with after Luongo retired (after a series of injuries) and Reimer traded (for the purpose of creating more cap space)? This only left the team with one sensible option: rolling the dice on Sergei Bobrovsky.

While the Panthers could’ve tapped into cheaper alternatives on the open market like Robin Lehner and Semyon Varlamov, none of those are two are as good as Bobrovsky, nor good enough to realistically guide the Panthers deep on a playoff run.

While risky, the Panthers made the right choice rolling the dice on Bobrovsky, understanding fully that Barkov, Huberdeau, and Trocheck’s deals all conclude in the next three-four seasons.

If the Panthers are going to make some noise and cause some trouble around the league, now is going to have to be the time to do that. NOT somewhere down the line in the distant future.

The future, as Dale loves to talk about, has already arrived and with the core locked up on team-friendly deals for another few seasons with a legit starting goaltender now added to their roster, is the perfect time to start competing.

The Panthers (by no means) are Stanley Cup contenders as we speak with their current roster. However, with the addition of Bobrovsky and the other notable signings in Stralman, Connolly, and Acciari should allow them to punch their ticket for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

If there’s any season where the Panthers have to make the playoffs, it’s this, without thinking twice. Playoffs are not only regarded as the goal at this point, but it’s seen as the expectation by many.

The big summer signing of goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky may not make the Panthers sudden cup contenders, but it does bring them another step/two closer to booking their playoff ticket.