Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
A changing of guard in South Florida
All-Star goalie Bobrovsky on display as Panthers open training camp at IceDen
CORAL SPRINGS — As Sergei Bobrovsky hit the ice for the first day of training camp, so began a new era in net for the Florida Panthers.
Less than a week after longtime star goalie Roberto Luongo announced his retirement in June, the Panthers quickly found his successor, signing Bobrovsky to a sevenyear, $70 million contract.
On Friday morning at the Coral Springs IceDen, the All-Star goalie made his practice debut for the Panthers under new coach Joel Quenneville.
“It’s fun to be around the guys,” Bobrovsky said. “It’s nice to get started and build up relationships and get back to work.”
In landing the two-time winner of the Vezina Trophy — awarded to the league’s best goaltender — the Panthers are hoping Bobrovsky can be the final piece for a playoff run. Last season, Florida finished the year with a disappointing 86 points (36-32-14), missing the postseason for the 16th time in the past 18 years.
Bobrovsky, who turns 31 next week, arrives in South Florida with a strong playoff pedigree.
Last season, the 6-foot-2, 182-pound goalie helped lead the Columbus Blue Jackets to a stunning first-round upset over the topseeded Tampa Bay Lightning. For the season, he posted a .913 save percentage, 2.58 goals against average and a league-high nine shutouts.
Acclimating himself to a new set of team
mates will be the immediate task at hand before Florida’s regular-season opener at Tampa Bay on Oct. 3. For Bobrovsky, joining a new team isn’t a completely unique experience. The goalie spent the first two seasons of his career with the Philadelphia Flyers before being traded to the Blue Jackets in 2012.
A nine-year NHL veteran, Bobrovsky knows what to expect and understands chemistry will come in time.
“I try to be myself,” Bobrovsky said. “I know my job, I know what I have to do here. What’s my job, what’s my role. You just come here and bring to the table your skills and professionalism. The relationships will come after, I think, not shortly.”
While the Panthers haven’t had much time on the ice with Bobrovsky yet, players have been impressed with the early returns.
“I think he brings a calmness,” Panthers defenseman Keith Yandle said. “Obviously we haven’t been around him too much, but you see him in the gym; he’s working out, doing his thing. He’s a guy who’s prepared even though it’s only day two. He knows what he’s doing; he’s going to do his job.”
While there’s no set game plan on how many games Bobrovsky will start in net, he said between 60-65 games is the ideal workload. Over the past three seasons, he’s hovered in that range, playing 63, 65 and 62 games, respectively.
There’s a balancing act as well, with the ultimate goal being a playoff run. Of course, the Panthers have to make the playoffs first, so figuring out the proper usage to meet both immediate and long-term goals will be key.
With 34 career playoff games under his belt, Bobrovsky knows the importance of being fresh for the postseason. With four bestof-seven rounds in the Stanley Cup playoffs, a team could potentially play 28 total games, which equates to more than a third of a regular season.
“It’s another season, which starts all over again and it’s long again,” said Bobrovsky, who’s posted a .925 save percentage and 2.41 goals-against average in the playoffs. “It’s a pretty heavy schedule, so you have to be smart about that workload to make the playoffs. The most important games are after the regular season.”