Why Bobrovsky's Hunt For First Win With Maple Leafs Shouldn't Overshadow His Respectable Play

While he’s still looking for his first win with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Thursday night in Las Vegas, goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky put in the kind of effort GM John Chayka is looking for when he signed him to a three-year contract worth $7 million per season.

The Vegas Golden Knights barraged Bobrovsky with 43 shots on net, with 40 of them turned aside to get Toronto to a shootout. And although Vegas wound up winning the shootout and earning a 4-3 win, Bobrovsky’s save percentage of .930 was his best performance in three games this season and was the reason his team was able to get a point from that outing. 

However, despite Bobrovsky’s inability to post a win thus far, it’s not as if he were an abject disaster in his first two games as a Leaf. In fact, he’s been about as consistent as possible.

In Toronto’s first game against the Montreal Canadiens, Bobrovsky allowed three goals. And in his second game against the Ottawa Senators, Bobrovsky also allowed three shots. Three games, and nine goals in total. Those aren’t ideal numbers for Bobrovsky, but the difference in Bobrovsky’s SP being above or below the .900 benchmark is razor-thin.

In that first game, the Canadiens managed only 24 shots on Bobrovsky, giving him an SP of .875 in that game. And against the Senators, Ottawa peppered Bobrovsky with 29 shots, giving him an SP of .897. A couple more shots here or there, and Bobrovsky would’ve had an SP of .900 or higher. So his season SP of .906 is actually rather good.

Remember, Bobrovsky is still in the feel-out process with his new team. He’d been accustomed to killer lineups and high-end defensive attacks as a member of the Florida Panthers, and he now has to adjust to a Leafs team that is far from perfect, especially in their own zone. 

And if Bobrovsky had’ve received the offensive support we’ve seen out of teams like the Edmonton Oilers, Colorado Avalanche and Pittsburgh Penguins, he would’ve had that first win as a Leaf by now. 

The truth is, last season, Bobrovsky struggled, in part due to the Panthers’ injuries and roster woes. He had a .877 SP and a 3.07 GAA in 52 appearances – his worst SP of his career. Thus, you can see why Chayka was willing to shell out a lot of money and a lot of contract term to bring Bobrovsky to Toronto.

That’s what has to be encouraging for Leafs fans when they see Bobrovsky ratcheting up his game. He may still let in a bad goal or two, but the same can be said of every netminder in the league. Bobrovsky has demonstrated that he can handle a large volume of shots and still give his Toronto team a chance to win games. 

Now, the Leafs obviously aren’t going to win every game that Bobrovsky keeps them in. But Bobrovsky’s competitiveness and professionalism made him an upgrade over the traded Joseph Woll, and as Bobrovsky becomes more familiar with his teammates, his numbers are bound to improve.

At 38 years old, Bobrovsky’s prime years are in the rearview mirror. But that doesn’t mean he can’t still have something to offer. Bobrovsky is already showing that the Leafs were wise to outbid other teams for his services, and while there are going to be some speed bumps ahead for him and the rest of Toronto’s team, Bobrovsky is already beginning to contribute the type of netminding that has often eluded the Leafs.

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