Sergei Bobrovsky's Contract Demands with Panthers Revealed
Florida Panthers GM Bill Zito was able to work wonders last June after the team won its second straight Stanley Cup, to keep all of their key pending unrestricted free agents in the fold. He was able to re-sign Sam Bennett, Aaron Ekblad and Brad Marchand all to long-term extensions.
Now, their iconic goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, a pending UFA this summer, is wondering, 'What about me?' And in fact, he's been eyeing one of the aforementioned extensions, specifically, as a starting point for negotiations on his next deal, if he is to stick around.
I don’t know where it’s going to go with Sergei Bobrovsky in Florida. But there is word that the contract Brad Marchand signed (six years, $5.25 million AAV) was, at one point, used as some kind of a comparable. Marchand signed that at age 37. Bobrovsky is 37. Panthers were not willing to do it.
'Bob', as he's affectionately known, is coming off a seven-year, $70M deal ($10M AAV). But, going into his age 38 season next year, he's willing to take a hit on the average annual salary, but still wants his money in the long run.
Panthers balking at Bobrovsky's asking price for extension
Will Bobrovsky be able to serve as the No. 1 goalie, making in excess of 50 starts per season, into his 40s? That's highly unlikely, which is obviously why the Panthers are balking at that kind of offering.
It's worth noting that the 16-year veteran is having his worst season in the NHL, with a save percentage of just .876.
This negotiation will be an extremely intriguing one to watch, at least as much as it was watching Zito work miracles with that trio last year.
If they can't work something out, there could be some teams on the cusp of true Stanley Cup contention that might consider Playoff Bob as the missing piece.
Photo: © Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images
