The Florida Panthers entered the first day of free agency by addressing their primary need in finding a starting netminder.
On Monday, July 1, the Florida Panthers announced the signing of goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky to a seven-year, $70M contract worth $10M annually.
Bobrovsky, who’s 30-years-old, spent the last seven seasons with the Columbus Blue Jackets. During the 2018-19 season, Bobrovsky posted a record of 37-24-1 to go along with his .913 SV% and 2.58 GAA.
In a grand total of 374 games played with the Blue Jackets, Bobrovsky tallied a record of 213-130-27, complemented by a SV% of .921 and a GAA of 2.41. Bobrovsky concluded his stay as a two-time All-Star (2015 & 2017) and Vezina Trophy winner (2013 & 2017).
Prior to his time in Columbus, Bobrovsky went undrafted and was signed by the Philadelphia Flyers on May. 6, 2010 to a three-year, entry-level contract.
Bobrovsky’s stay was short in the City of Brotherly Love as he only spent two seasons with the Flyers (2010-11/2011-2012). In those two seasons, Bobrovsky participated in 83 contests, owning a .909 SV% and a 2.73 GAA to side with his 77-42-23 record.
Florida Panthers GM Dale Tallon had a few words to say on the big signing:
"“Sergei is an elite starting goaltender who has consistently proven to be one of the best in the NHL. Adding a world-class goalie with Sergei’s abilities and experience will give us a solid foundation in net and the confidence to win every night as we look towards this next era of Panthers hockey in South Florida.”"
For the Panthers, this signals the end to their goaltending problems. For years, the Cats have tried to address their glaring issue in goal, but have never quite found a solution.
They’ve lacked a starter for years and have extensively relied on Roberto Luongo to carry the majority of the starting workload.
With Luongo heading into the sunset as a retiree and James Reimer shipped off to Raleigh, North Carolina, the Panthers will have a new tandem in goal, with Bobrovsky leading the charge.
An experienced, yet proven netminder like Sergei Bobrovsky should do the Panthers wonders in their upcoming season under newly hired Head Coach Joel Quenneville.
The signing of Sergei Bobrovsky brings the Panthers an extra step closer into contention and two steps closer into making the playoffs this season.
This is exactly what the doctor ordered when Tallon expressed that he’d be addressing the goaltending issue this summer. Welcome aboard, Sergei!