Florida Panthers Should Pursue Varlamov as Plan B Option to Bobrovsky

In the event that the Florida Panthers don’t sign Sergei Bobrovsky, they should have a backup option in mind to pursue.

Of course, I want the Florida Panthers to sign goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky this summer, and in no way, shape, or form am I advocating against that.

After all, the Panthers are at the top of his list and are regarded as frontrunners to win the race for his services. But in the event that nothing materializes, the Panthers need to have a backup in mind.

In case you are wondering who that backup option may be, there’s another goaltender on the open market this summer who’s also capable of playing as a starter. His name is Semyon Varlamov.

Varlamov, who’s currently 31 years of age, has played the past eight seasons with the Colorado Avalanche, serving as their starter during that time span.

Through his eight years in the Mile-High City, Varlamov posted a win record of 378-183-156 in 389 games, as well as a .915 SV% and a 2.72 GAA.

This past season, however, was a down year for the Russian netminder as he put together an underwhelming SV% and GAA of .909 and 2.87.

Despite his poor showings in 2018-19, Varlamov has consistently shown in the past that he can be relied on as a starter and should garnish some interest from teams this offseason.

While the Panthers have been heavily linked to Bobrovsky – who’s unquestionably the best goaltender available this summer – in the case that they aren’t able to sign him, Varlamov wouldn’t be a bad backup option in mind.

Varlamov may be a few months older than his compatriot (Bobrovsky) and may not be on his playing level (although not far off), but the one advantage that he has heading into free agency is his affordability.

Varlamov will definitely serve as the cheaper and more cost-efficient option for teams looking to sign a starting goaltender. He’s likely to get a contract in the range of five years with a hit in the field of $6-7M.

Bobrovsky, on the other hand, is expected to get his rumored seven-year deal with a hit in the range of $8-10M.

If the Panthers, for whatever reason, decide not to go down the Bobrovsky route for financial reasons let’s say, they could certainly turn their attention over to Semyon Varlamov.

Like Bobrovsky, Varlamov is already a starter in this league and isn’t that much worse talent wise. Varlamov is definitely regarded as a respectable netminder who’s more than capable of replacing Roberto Luongo as the Panthers’ new No. 1.

Sure, it won’t be Bobrovsky in between the pipes – a 2x Vezina winner – but if push comes to shove and the Panthers miss out on him, they seriously can’t go wrong with Semyon Varlamov.

The Panthers are at the point where they need a legitimate goaltender to start next season. They can’t afford to just put all their eggs in one basket with one name while casting the rest away.

That’s why, if Sergei Bobrovsky just doesn’t materialize (for whatever reason), the Panthers have another suitable option next in line who they can chase.

Again, I’m not advocating against Sergei Bobrovsky. All I’m saying is for the Panthers to keep an open mind and have more than one plan put in place.

Because for whatever reason, if the first plan fails to work, at least they have something to fall back on. And Varlamov, in all honesty, isn’t a bad goaltender to pursue.

In the event that the Panthers don’t get the goaltender who’s at the top of their wish list, they can turn their attention over to the next best option who isn’t far off from the first. At the end of the day, though, who would you rather have as your starter? Varlamov or Luongo? I think the answer is fairly obvious…