Florida Panthers Look to Re-Sign Sergei Bobrovsky
George Richards of Florida Hockey Now joins Scott Laughlin and Gord Stellick on NHL Morning Skate on Sirius XM NHL Network Radio on Monday. Outside of the Aleksander Barkov injury, Richards was asked about Sergei Bobrovsky and when we could see a contract extension with the Florida Panthers.
NHLRumors.com Transcriptions
Scott Laughlin: “Now look, I mean, the big story down there was obviously (Aleksander) Barkov and that’s going to suck up all the oxygen in the room, for obvious reasons. Has there been a lot of talk down there, George, about Bobrovsky entering the final year of his contract?
Again, 37, first ballot Hockey Hall of Famer. We all think, with the Stanley Cups, of course, on his resume and all the games he’s won, what do you think happens with Bobrovsky here at 37? My guess would be that, look, if he continues playing, it’s going to be with the Florida Panthers. But what are you hearing about them working towards anything?”
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George Richards: “Yeah, that, that is the general consensus, right? I mean, can you see right now, at this point in his career, Sergei Bobrovsky playing anywhere else but here? And the answer is no. Florida’s got a ton of salary cap money next year, as every team does, so that’s not going to be a problem being able to fit him under the cap or anything of the sort.
It seems like Sergei Bobrovsky is part of the fabric here with the Florida Panthers. And his family loves living here. He loves living here. He loves being part of this, not just the local, just that, just that room. I mean, it’s just such just to see him in the room, interacting with his teammates and stuff. He’s not going anywhere. So I don’t think it he is going anywhere. Really, that you forget that it’s the last year of his contract, because that contract was so long, right when he signed it, it’s hard to believe that this is it. But yeah, he’ll be back.”
NHLRumors.com Note: The question is when Sergei Bobrovsky and the Florida Panthers sign a new extension. As Richards noted, he is in the final year of his deal and was eligible for an extension. Panthers GM Bill Zito has the advantage of more cap space and will look to keep his AAV down on the next contract. But Bobrovsky’s next contract will be less than what he is making now.
Would you put it past Zito to announce a new Bobrovsky contract on opening night when the Panthers raise the Stanley Cup Banner on October 6th, similar to what he did with the Carter Verhaeghe contract extension last year?
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This is something to watch moving forward.
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