Sergei Bobrovsky lands on trade market!

The Florida Panthers got swept 4-0 by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Eastern Conference semifinals and now team must keep the broom out to make some room on its cap space…

The cap situation in Florida isn’t simple: captain Aleksander Barkov’s new deal kicks in next season ($10M AAV) as well as Carter Verhaeghe, who jumps from $1M to $4.16M next season. Jonathan Huberdeau is entering the last year of his deal next season and will get a nice raise from $5.9M AAV. He became the first Panthers player with a 100-point season. That’s a lot of money when you have goalie Sergei Bobrovsky’s cap hit of $10 million on top of it all..

That’s why once again on Friday, Lyle Richardson of the Hockey News can’t rule out that Bobrovsky could be traded this summer.

The rumours of the Russian goalie being moved has intensified, especially since Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman revealed last week that the Panthers attempted to trade Bobrovsky and his hefty contract prior to the postseason.

There is a sense that the Panthers will look to find a trade partner for the goalie. After all, Spencer Knight remains Florida’s goalie of the future. And with tight money and extensions to come fast, Bobrovsky could be the one to move. But it won’t be easy…

This is how Richardson puts it:

“Trading Bobrovsky would free up significant cap space to address the Panthers’ immediate and long-term needs. However, he’s signed through 2025-26 with a $10-million annual average value and a full no-movement clause. Assuming he’d agree to a trade, his list of preferred destinations could be short. The Panthers would also have to retain a healthy chunk of his cap hit to entice potential suitors.”

Bob could be interesting for rival teams out there with a budget and a desire for an upgrade in between the pipes. And he’d offer fans a monster trade in the offseason!