How do the Panthers fans feel about Bob’s contract now ?

[ViD]

Do you believe it was worth it at the end of the day or still a massive overpay that should not have been done ?

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[MaWa]

Depends on this and next year IMHO. He is on the track to be almost worth his contract. I mean, there is no golie in the world worth 10mil a year, except maybe Hasek, so it Will be always an overpay, but Bob is as close as it is possible, he is giving all he has in him last two years and its awesome.

 

[FrolikFan67]

We played in a Stanley cup final, which I never thought I’d see (I was 4 in ‘96), and there’s a high high high likelihood that doesn’t happen without him. Personally, I say that alone makes it worth it.

 

[austropanther]

If he gets us a SC, then yes. Otherwise no

 

[RJMA]

He's arguably the best goalie in franchise history. Future hall of famer. I'm more than happy with him. Rarely has health issues because he's a fitness freak. Level headed. Supportive of his backups. He's easily a Top 5 goalie in the world the past 2 years. Goalies like Bobrovsky dont come along very often. Will enjoy him while we've got him. Stolarz will pull an Alex Lyon this summer and chase a starting job, as he should. Knight the heir to Bob's throne and has big shoes to fill.

 

[letsgrowcactus]

It's still a big overpayment - in that way, it was always going to be a bad contract. That said, there are situations when an overpayment might be worth it. The question is whether Bob has done enough to justify this one.

It was signed five years ago and consumes nearly 1/8 of our cap. We got two years of absolutely horrible play out of it (to the point where guys like Driedger and Spencer-"too-young-to-legally-buy-a-drink"-Knight were seen as the preferable options). The third year went somewhat better but still nowhere near justifying the 10 mil spent. Last year's playoffs was really the first time where Bob shined, and he's continued the trend this year in the regular season and the playoffs.

I agree with austropanther - if we win a Cup and he was a big part of it? Then yes, it was worth it. Otherwise, no.

 

[PatchesOhoulihan]

It’s so bad that he should resign for the league minimum when it expires

 

[ShootIt]

Considering he was part of the big 3 to get us to the Finals last year, it has aged better than expected after his rocky first few years here.
Maurice defensive structure definitely has made him more comfortable.

Tallon overpaid in term and cap hit, but that was still at the time where Florida still was a playoff pretender.

For next year, having 14mil between two goalies will hurt re-signing some of the depth, but at this point it's the Knight contract that hurts moreso than the slight overpay for Bob.

 

[BeezKnees]

He kind of Benjamin Button'd us. We figured the first few years he'd be great and then fall off as he got older. But the reverse happened. He's gotten better every year. I have full confidence in Bob now and not a lot of teams can say that about their goaltending these days.

 

[Idiot Stick]

I think someone posted on ig that he felt Q never liked him and that rocked his confidence

 

[scholl]

It's still a big overpayment - in that way, it was always going to be a bad contract. That said, there are situations when an overpayment might be worth it. The question is whether Bob has done enough to justify this one.

It was signed when the organization couldn't attract players to SE Fla. Back then cap wasn't an issue for this team. Hence, I supported the signing. Last year, however, the contract was a huge problem. Roster had holes because of no cap space (partly also because of buyouts). Luckily this year Zito was able to find players who are willing to play "under market value". So it's not a problem now. Next season the situation is different. I don't think that it's possible to keep this team together because so many players want a better contract. Then Bob's contract will be a problem again. Especially if Knight returns and that goalie tandem costs $14.5m. For example Vegas has now $5.7m "buried" in those two goalies in the roster and they still are $10m over the cap. That enables them to have a broader roster which helps in playoffs.

 

[Chessarmy]

Sergei Bobrovsky is one of the best goaltenders in the world.

And this is coming from someone that wrote scathing rants about his play for a number of years here. I started a thread on these boards about how we could possibly dump his contract.

It's hard to explain how he turned things around. It could be the defensive structure brought on by Maurice. It could be that he lacked confidence and it took him a few years to feel like he could "measure up" to his massive $70 million contract. It could be the new goaltending excellence department. It could be a combination of a lot of things - but it's obvious that Bobrovsky in 2024 is a different goalie than Bobrovsky in 2019.

I feel like almost every fanbase in this league is not satisfied with their goaltending and wants an upgrade in net. For us to have, not just a rock solid starter, but someone who can play 60 games and be THE GUY in the crease is a big time luxury and one we should NOT take for granted.

Overall: I would say it was worth it. His tenure here started out rough, really rough, like "I'm not sure he can still play in this league" rough. But things changed and he completely revitalized his career. I've grown to love what Bobrovsky brings to this team and I'm happy we have him.

 

[TotalHomer]

If he gets us a SC, then yes. Otherwise no

This is the answer. It's a not a good contract for a goalie and was bad the first four years outside of one playoff run. It's even worse when Vegas showed last year that you can win with a goalie making two million. Whatever holes the team has defensively could be fixed with his contract off the books.

 

[Ghoste]

Are we allowed to bury Knight in Charlotte again next season?

 

[austropanther]

Sergei Bobrovsky is one of the best goaltenders in the world.

And this is coming from someone that wrote scathing rants about his play for a number of years here. I started a thread on these boards about how we could possibly dump his contract.

It's hard to explain how he turned things around. It could be the defensive structure brought on by Maurice. It could be that he lacked confidence and it took him a few years to feel like he could "measure up" to his massive $70 million contract. It could be the new goaltending excellence department. It could be a combination of a lot of things - but it's obvious that Bobrovsky in 2024 is a different goalie than Bobrovsky in 2019.

I feel like almost every fanbase in this league is not satisfied with their goaltending and wants an upgrade in net. For us to have, not just a rock solid starter, but someone who can play 60 games and be THE GUY in the crease is a big time luxury and one we should NOT take for granted.

Overall: I would say it was worth it. His tenure here started out rough, really rough, like "I'm not sure he can still play in this league" rough. But things changed and he completely revitalized his career. I've grown to love what Bobrovsky brings to this team and I'm happy we have him.

A 10-million-goalie should save the team on a constant basis when things are "rough" as you call it. I like Bob a lot, and I am one defending him when others criticized him. But this contract was just insane. And many other teams proved that you can go far with mediocre goaltending - at reasonable prices. Greatness is expected with such a contract, and he needed too much time to deliver while tying up Zito's hands to get players.

 

[Chessarmy]

A 10-million-goalie should save the team on a constant basis when things are "rough" as you call it. I like Bob a lot, and I am one defending him when others criticized him. But this contract was just insane. And many other teams proved that you can go far with mediocre goaltending - at reasonable prices. Greatness is expected with such a contract, and he needed too much time to deliver while tying up Zito's hands to get players.

I get that and I agree that the first few years SUCKED. But we made the Stanley Cup Final largely because he was sensational in net. That alone makes it all worth it.

You know how much of a joke this franchise was for so long before Zito got here. It was really, really bad. We were the laughing stock of the league. Yes - Bob's contract was HORRIBLE for a while, but getting a Stanley Cup run out of it, especially for this organization and the futility we've had to endure, makes it worth it for me.

 

[WaitingForThatCab]

Well,

1. Bob was bad for his first three years here. It was not just 'team defense.' Up until the 2022 playoffs, Bob repeatedly lost his net to guys like Spencer Knight and Chris Driedger. Those guys played behind the same defense, but got better results. Those are just facts.

2. Bob has consistently been good since the Panthers adjusted to and started actually playing Paul Maurice's defensive system. Most teams do not have consistently good goaltending. I think Bob has been the best overall goaltender (RS/PS) in the NHL since calendar year 2023 began.

3. Bob takes his health very seriously, and it shows. I think he will continue to age very gracefully due the work he puts in on that front. But... he is now at the age where you have to start worrying about decline, and for goaltenders that comes quite rapidly.


With the flattened cap, and considering how he played his first three years here, the contract is awful. There's no way around that, at all. That's not a reflection on Bobrovsky the player or the person. I like Bob a lot for helping out arena workers during the COVID bullshit, and as I said, I think he's the best starting goaltender in the NHL right now. But the contract was inescapably destined to be bad.

The best thing I can say about the contract is that he is playing so well right now that the Panthers will probably be able to trade him without retaining any salary. Is that something that I personally want to see happen? No, no it's not. But I think it remains a likely scenario due to the unfortunate realities of the salary cap.

The Panthers, playing the best team defense in the league with this roster and coaching staff, don't need elite goaltending, but they do need clutch playoff scoring. This is a dilemma that is going to break some hearts.

 

[pantherbot]

I always wonder what could have been if Bob was set up for success from the start. Our systems were clearly not suited to his game and there were indications Q didn't care for him much. He's always had the athleticism, seemed like a lot of it was in his head. Guy is money now and I feel so comfortable wit him.

If we can keep him through next year and let Knight marinate some more, maybe even as a backup role, that would be great.

I think someone posted on ig that he felt Q never liked him and that rocked his confidence

Right I thought I remember that, was kind of surprised by those comments, but makes a lot of sense in hindsight.

 

[Idiot Stick]

Well,

1. Bob was bad for his first three years here. It was not just 'team defense.' Up until the 2022 playoffs, Bob repeatedly lost his net to guys like Spencer Knight and Chris Driedger. Those guys played behind the same defense, but got better results. Those are just facts.

2. Bob has consistently been good since the Panthers adjusted to and started actually playing Paul Maurice's defensive system. Most teams do not have consistently good goaltending. I think Bob has been the best overall goaltender (RS/PS) in the NHL since calendar year 2023 began.

3. Bob takes his health very seriously, and it shows. I think he will continue to age very gracefully due the work he puts in on that front. But... he is now at the age where you have to start worrying about decline, and for goaltenders that comes quite rapidly.


With the flattened cap, and considering how he played his first three years here, the contract is awful. There's no way around that, at all. That's not a reflection on Bobrovsky the player or the person. I like Bob a lot for helping out arena workers during the COVID bullshit, and as I said, I think he's the best starting goaltender in the NHL right now. But the contract was inescapably destined to be bad.

The best thing I can say about the contract is that he is playing so well right now that the Panthers will probably be able to trade him without retaining any salary. Is that something that I personally want to see happen? No, no it's not. But I think it remains a likely scenario due to the unfortunate realities of the salary cap.

The Panthers, playing the best team defense in the league with this roster and coaching staff, don't need elite goaltending, but they do need clutch playoff scoring. This is a dilemma that is going to break some hearts.

I agree our defense is better, like a lot better than last year, but if we have even just a decent goalie in net were 0-2 this series.

 

[pantherbot]

Are we allowed to bury Knight in Charlotte again next season?

I believe yes he's still waiver exempt, but it makes no difference to our cap situation as only $1.15M or something like that is the max that can be saved with contracts sent to the minors.

 

[I am not exposed]

Still a massive overpay. For too inconsistent. Shouldn't be paying that much for a goaltender.

He's doing better/looking like better value now because of a better defensive system. But lets not forget he didn't even start the playoffs last year. And it was Lyons stretch of good play that got us into the playoffs last year.

Also, our backup goaltender has better numbers this season.

But he is looking finally like a number 1 this season. Took too long for that to happen. And as stated, the defensive system improving has coincided with that.

 

[pantherbot]

I don't think any goaltender short of Hasek level would be worth $10M, but I think he's among the best in the world right now.

Something to also consider is regular season vs. playoffs. Bob's been inconsistent in regular season, but he's been solid through the playoffs and that's probably worth more. Probably more difficult to be a consistently good playoff goalie, just look at Hellebuyck and Oettinger melting down.

Not sure that alone is worth $10M, but something to be said for performing when it actually matters.

 

[Prominence Problem]

I remember I had a thread years ago personally tracking Bob's 'saves that no one else could make', or something like that.
Even if he was "bad", he would still make at least one if those saves a game.
So was it him or the defense; while we've had that discussion before.

Now, we are seeing a strong defensive team play in front of Bob and he is making those 1 or 2 saves a game.

 

[ShootIt]

Are we allowed to bury Knight in Charlotte again next season?

Exemption Determination​

• Covid Roster Freeze Player: No
• 2020-21 Games Played Prorated Player: No
• Waivers signing age: 19
  • 8 GP in second season (Prorated for 56/82 games in the 2020-21 shortened season): No
  • Position: Goaltender
    • Seasons Exempt: 5
    • NHL Games Played Exempt: 80

He's played 3 seasons in the NHL and 59 games. All of the above per Capfriendly. I would of thought he would of been on waivers due to professional games played but maybe it's based off 80 NHL games?

 

[Chaos2k7]

This is the answer. It's a not a good contract for a goalie and was bad the first four years outside of one playoff run. It's even worse when Vegas showed last year that you can win with a goalie making two million. Whatever holes the team has defensively could be fixed with his contract off the books.

He has been better than good for 3 seasons now.

But a Cup or a couple Vezinas were the only way that contract ever had a chance of being worth it.