According to Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos, Florida Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky is seeking a six or seven-year deal with an asking price as high as $42 million.
If the latest reports are true, Sergei Bobrovsky’s time in Florida could be coming to an end.
According to the latest report by Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos, Bobrovsky is seeking a six or seven-year contract with an asking price as high as $42 million.
The contract Bobrovsky is seeking has an AAV of $6-$7 million, depending on the term.
While the money may be steep for a netminder coming off a poor season, the real boggling part of this report is the term Bobrovsky is demanding.
To begin, Bobrovsky is 37 years old and will be 38 when the 2026-27 season begins. In many cases, goaltenders’ careers don’t even last that long, let alone have the ability to play at the standard Bobrovsky showed.
Prior to the difficult 2025-26 season, Bobrovsky guided the Panthers to back-to-back Stanley Cup wins and another finals appearance, posting a .915 save percentage, .906 SP, and .914 SP.
If Bobrovsky signed a seven-year contract, he would be under contract until his mid-40s. Only five goalies have ever played until 45, and the most recent goaltender to play beyond 40 years old is Marc-André Fleury, who was a backup netminder who played just 26 games.
Other examples are Martin Brodeur, Craig Anderson, Roberto Luongo, Tim Thomas, Jonathan Quick, and Mike Smith. Luongo was the only netminder to play more than 40 games in his final season.
Signing Bobrovsky to a contract with that term comes with plenty of risk. He likely wouldn’t play out the full contract, as in many cases, older players who sign long-term deals end up on the long-term injury reserve before they retire.
Still, Bobrovsky would have to be paid out, whether his contract is attached to the salary cap or not.
In all, Bobrovsky is a Panthers legend, but the NHL is a business, and GM Bill Zito can’t afford to overpay for an aging goaltender because of the fan base’s feelings towards him.
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