The Florida Panthers are celebrating their second-straight Stanley Cup victory after defeating the Edmonton Oilers in six games in the Stanley Cup Final last month. They will look to become the first team since the New York Islanders in the early 1980s to win three straight Stanley Cups.
One of the biggest factors in their last three Stanley Cup runs was the performance of Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky. Last postseason alone, he had16 wins through 23 starts, a goals against average (GAA) of 2.20, a save percentage (SV%) of .914, and three shutouts. However, he is turning 37 before the start of the upcoming season. This begs the question: how much does he have left in the tank?
37 Is Typically a Drop Off Year for Goaltenders
For even some of the best goalies of all time, 37 can be seen as a cutoff age for them. For example, Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury put up some of his best numbers with the Vegas Golden Knights in the shortened 2020-21 season, when he was 36. That season, he won 26 games through 36 games dressed with a SV% of .928, a GAA of 1.98, and six shutouts. That postseason, he was just as good with a 2.04 GAA, a .918 SV%, nine wins, and a shutout.
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The following season, when he was 37, his numbers tanked. Between both the Chicago Blackhawks and Minnesota Wild, he had a .908 SV% with a GAA of 2.90. He went on to win only go two games that postseason. While anything can happen in this league, Father Time plays a significant role in all players. This includes Bobrovsky.
Bobrovsky Is Playing on the Last Year of His Contract
When Bobrovsky came to the Panthers in the summer of 2019, he signed a seven-year, $70 million deal with an annual average of $10 million per season. This upcoming season will be the last year of the deal.
Considering his age, he may be playing his last season in Florida and perhaps in the league. It is unlikely that any team will give him the same type of deal. If he sticks around the Panthers, he might take a discount, but he may not be starting as many games as he has over the last few seasons.
When Does Bobrovsky Hang Them Up & What Is Panthers’ Future in Net?
With Bobrovsky heading towards the end of his career, the team does not have a future plan in net. At the 2025 Trade Deadline, the team traded away what originally was going to be their future in net in Spencer Knight to the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for defenseman Seth Jones. While they did get a former first-round pick to solidify their defensive core, it cost them a future starter.
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As a result, this offseason, the team brought in former Columbus Blue Jackets Goaltender Daniil Tarasov. While he has NHL experience, he is ultimately unproven to take over the starting role. That is going to be a big problem that has to be addressed.
What’s Going to Happen Next?
It truly is a shot in the dark as to how much the Russian netminder has left in him. Age eventually catches up to us all in some shape or form, and it is not kind to even the best NHL players.
But it is up to him to decide when he wants to hang it up. If he feels he can keep going, no one should stop him from doing what he wants. After all, his next stop is guaranteed to be in Toronto at the Hockey Hall of Fame once he’s done.
