George Richards, FHN Publisher
When the Florida Panthers cleaned out following their season-ending win over the Detroit Red Wings about a month ago, one of the first questions to Matthew Tkachuk had to do with their free agent goalie Sergei Bobrovsky.
Tkachuk has made it clear he wants Bobrovsky back with the Panthers next season.
Sasha Barkov and, just as importantly, Bill Zito said the same thing.
“It is sincerely the hope, honestly the hope, yeah,” Zito said last month. “He has meant quite a bit. The work ethic is infamous, the professionalism, the leadership. If you have occasion to meet him, he is a wonderful human being with a great sense of humor, a very funny guy, and a good, caring, considerate teammate.’’
Said Barkov: “There is not a single person in South Florida who wants him gone from here. He is a loved teammate, everyone loves him, loves to play in front of him, loves to battle for him, loves seeing him every day at the rink. So, it’s tough to even imagine that there could be a chance we see him go. So, of course, I am in the same boat as Chucky and in the same boat as every single guy in this organization. Everyone wants him to stay. He is a big piece of what we have done here on and off the ice. I’m sure everyone is doing everything possible to make him stay.’’
Yet, right now, the Panthers do not have a goalie in place for next season. Both Bobrovsky and backup Daniil Tarasov are free agents and the Panthers have some options.
Amid reports that the Panthers and Bobrovsky are far apart both financially and via length of a new deal, the general thought remains that a deal can get done.
That is if both sides want one.
Bobrovsky told FHN in February that he did not want to go anywhere.
So, where do the Panthers go moving forward?
This may be the first opportunity for the Panthers’ department of goaltending — headed by Roberto Luongo, with esteemed goalie coach Francois Allaire as well as longtime Florida goalie coach Robb Tallas part of the braintrust — to find the team a starter.
Luongo, one may remember, retired days before the Panthers officially inked Bobrovsky to that seven-year, $70 million deal in 2019.
The goalie department has found some gems, including Anthony Stolarz, Alex Lyon, Brandon Bussi (who went to Carolina), Tarasov, and prospects such as Cooper Black.
But this could be their first shot at finding a starter.
So, where do they start?
BRINGING BACK BOB
Bringing back Bobrovsky appears to be the safe route to go for the Panthers. He wants to be here, they want him here.
So, that’s probably how that goes.
What Bobrovsky’s new contract looks like is anyone guess — but it will be a lot less than $10 million per season.
The Panthers have about $15 million under the salary cap for next season and need to sign two NHL goalies, a couple depth forwards, and a seventh defenseman.
So, they do not have unlimited funds. The cap situation is better than it was last season, for sure, but this is not a bucketload of cap space — much of which will be taken by the starting goalie, whomever it is.
BOB AND A NEW FRIEND
If Bobrovsky does come back, who is the backup? It very well could be Tarasov who played well at times — and was strong when given the reigns in the final weeks.
The Panthers wanted to see what Tarasov could do down the stretch and, with a AHL-heavy lineup in front of him, did the job.
We will see if he impressed the right people.
If not, the Panthers could go for a more experienced goalie for a 1A/1B role — and one free agent who stands out is Pittsburgh’s Stuart Skinner.
Yeah, that Stuart Skinner.
Traded to the Penguins after helping the Edmonton Oilers to the Stanley Cup Final the past two seasons, Skinner is a free agent this summer.
At 27, Skinner has seen a lot — and he has played a lot.
The Penguins acquired him to escape Tristan Jarry’s contract and Skinner is probably on the move.
If Luongo & Co. think Skinner has the goods, perhaps a rehabilitation stint in South Florida could be beneficial to both sides.
Skinner had a cap hit of $2.6 million — so he’s not going to break the bank.
THIN FREE AGENT OPTIONS
If Bobrovsky were to move on — one has to think there are not too many places he would agree to play at this point in his career, so the market for his services could be much smaller than you may think — the Panthers do not have many free agent options.
Sure, there is Skinner, but do the Panthers think he could be their No. 1?
This is a team that, as Skinner already knows, is a Stanley Cup contender.
Frederik Anderson will be 37 when the next season starts and, at 8-0 to start these playoffs, may just get a new deal with Carolina. Cam Talbot could have been a Panther years ago, but we don’t see him coming here at this point in his career.
Pickings are slim. Which in theory would help Bobrovsky’s negotiations with the Panthers, but they know he’s not going to leave for just anywhere.
TRADE WINDS
If the Panthers are going to replace Bobrovsky, they will probably acquire his replacement through a trade.
Who could be out there?
Team USA gold-winner Connor Hellebuyck could possibly be on the way out of Winnipeg with reports that he is unhappy with the direction of the Jets.
Per PuckPedia.com, Hellebuyck has a full no-trade this season with the final three years being a modified no-trade — which, if he wants to join his pal Tkachuk, that would not come into play here.
With four years left on his contract with a cap hit of $8.5 million, Hellebuyck can demand a trade but there are too many years left on it for him to really force Winnipeg’s hand. That does not mean the Jets would not deal him. Perhaps it’s time.
Hellebuyck will be 33 this season and does not have a great playoff record. But, neither did Bobrovsky until he did.
It would be a costly trade since, due to the four years left on the contract, Winnipeg does not have to trade their star goalie.
Another veteran goalie who could be on the move is Team Canada’s Jordan Binnington. The 2019 Stanley Cup champ, Binnington has one year left on his deal at $6 million and could, probably, come much cheaper than Hellebuyck.
But with a modified 10-team no-trade, he could not block a trade except to those teams.
ON DECK: FLORIDA PANTHERS OFFSEASON
- IIHF World Championship, Switzerland: May 15-31
- NHL Draft (9th in First Round, Seven Overall): June 26-27; KeyBank Center, Buffalo
- NHL Free Agency: Opens July 1
- Panthers Development Camp: Late June/Early July; IcePlex, Fort Lauderdale
- Panthers Rookie Camp/Tournament: Late August/Early Sept.; Site TBA
- Panthers Training Camp: Early/Mid September; Fort Lauderdale
- 2026-27 NHL Season Opens: Late September; Site, Opponent TBA