He’s the backbone. He’s the reason we have two Stanley Cup championship rings. There’s no other goalie we want to play in front of. All 20 of us are going to be begging for him to stay.
Words from the Panthers’ hottest scorer, Matthew Tkachuk, on teammate Sergei Bobrovsky, who survived a slew of rumors that the 37-year-old was going to be dealt before Friday’s trade deadline.
Now that Bobrovsky, having one of his worst statistical seasons in net, remains in Florida for the reminder of this season, his teammates can breathe a sigh of relief — for now.
“We’re so happy he’s still here,” said Tkachuk, who scored a hat trick in the Panthers 3-1 win over Detroit on Friday. “We have no idea what he was going through (Friday), but for him to come out and do what he did tonight after all that chatter, and nobody knew what was going to happen is awesome.”
Bobrovsky stopped 28 of 29 shots, including 11 in the third period to improve his record to 23-19-1. He made several diving stops and pad saves, reminiscent of the vaulted goalie who recorded six shutouts in the Panthers’ last three straight post-season runs to the Stanley Cup Finals.
“I am absolutely not surprised he played as well as he did tonight,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said. “He’s been in the most pressure-filled game in our sport, Game 7, and he shut the door. He has that great ability.”
Overall, it’s been a disappointing season for the future Hall of Fame goalie. His save percentage of .876 is lowest of his career, and his 3.08 goals against average is also near the bottom.
In contrast, in 2024-25, Bobrovsky posted a 33-19-2 record over 54 games, maintaining a 2.44 GAA and .906 SV%. In the 2025 postseason he dominated with a 2.20 GAA and .914 SV%.
With those numbers typically the norm, it’ easy to see why General Manager Bill Zito fought to keep the Panthers’ quiet leader. Now that Bobrovsky is locked in for the remainder of this season, it’s up to Zito and company to see if they can come to terms on a contract for the future.
Zito and Maurice echoed each others’ sentiments on the importance of “keeping the core” of the team in tact for another run next year. They’re hoping that will include the return of Aleksander Barkov, Seth Jones and the other injured players. This commitment to the core was reinforced by the Panther’ relatively quiet day at the trade deadline.
On Friday, Bobrovsky made some brilliant saves, one against Red Wings star winger Patrick Kane with the Panthers clinging to a one-goal lead. Kane was alone in front of Bobrovsky, and sent a a shot over Bobrovsky’s right shoulder. In one motion, the veteran goaltender slid across the crease, extended his body and corralled the puck between his arm and chest to preserve the lead.
Zito and the Panthers will have to handle Bobrovsky’s future with this same kind of care and precision if they want to keep their goalie and the core champions together.
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