With no netminders signed for next season, Florida faces a high-stakes standoff as Sergei Bobrovsky nears free agency and potential trade targets like Jordan Binnington emerge.
One of the biggest storylines surrounding the Florida Panthers heading into the summer is their goaltending.
Or perhaps, it’s their lack thereof.
As of now, the Panthers do not have any NHL goaltenders under contract for next season.
Longtime starter Sergei Bobrovsky will be an unrestricted free agent on July 1 following the expiration of the seven-year, $70 million deal he signed with Florida back in 2019.
Bobrovsky, who will be 38 years old on Opening Night later this year, is reportedly still looking for a reasonably-sized payday and a deal that will have some term attached to it.
Considering his age,v those could be fairly big asks, but he’s also been arguably the best playoff goaltender over the past several seasons and has a pair of Stanley Cup wins under his belt to go along with the well-earned reputation.
Ideally, Bobrovsky and the Panthers will negotiate their way to something that both sides can live with, but the vibe over the past several weeks is that the two sides are not close.
On Tuesday, NHL Insider David Pagnotta joined NHL Network’s Erika Watcher, and the latter asked for an update on Bob in Florida.
“He wants to stay in Florida, I think that’s the preference,” Pagnotta said. “He wants to stay there but he also wants term, by every indication.”
Pagnotta mentioned the six-year, $31.5 million deal Florida signed a then-37-year-old Brad Marchand to last summer as something Bobrovsky may be looking at the Panthers to offer, with more money spread out over a longer-term deal.
The two sides have been discussing a contract extension for several months, Pagnotta said, which is why Borbovsky’s name came up around the Trade Deadline.
That outside interest in Bobrovsky remains there, but how far those potential discussions go will depend on how things shake out with the Panthers.
“It wouldn’t surprise me if he goes to July 1, to at least understand what the proper appetite is out there for his services,” Pagnotta said. “But again, his priority would be to stay in Florida. I think the Panthers certainly would like to keep him, but at the same time, they’re going to do their due diligence as well, and look to see what other options might be available if Bob leaves.”
Those options could include a pair of veteran goaltenders that could be available via trade this summer in Connor Hellebuyck of the Winnipeg Jets and Jordan Binnington of the St. Louis Blues.
“One guy, I think, on (Florida’s) radar is St. Louis’s Jordan Binnington, who is going to be entering the final year of his contract,” Pagnotta said. “Again, the priority is to keep Bob, but Florida is going to look at their options if that’s not the case.”
Binnington has one year remaining on his current deal with an average annual value (AAV) of $6 million while Hellebuyck has five years left on his contract that carries an AAV of $8.5 million.
Florida is estimated to have around $15.2 million in cap space to work with this summer, according to PuckPedia.
We still have about a month until the NHL Draft, which takes place on June 26 and 27 in Buffalo and will be followed by the start of free agency on July 1.
It should be a fun and interesting time between now and then as we keep track of all the chatter regarding potential player signings and movement while simultaneously enjoying the end of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
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Photo caption: Apr 4, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Florida Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky (72) looks on against the Pittsburgh Penguins during the first period at PPG Paints Arena. (Mark Alberti-Imagn Images)