Following days of speculation that the Toronto Maple Leafs could be in the mix for goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, the news has become official on the opening day of the NHL’s free-agency period.
Bobrovsky, who has played the last seven seasons with the divisional rival Florida Panthers and helped beat them in the postseason twice, is signing a three-year contract with the Maple Leafs.
According to both Elliotte Friedman and Pierre LeBrun, he will be paid $7 million for each of his three seasons. Bobrovsky now forms a tandem with his former Panthers teammate Anthony Stolarz in the Toronto crease.
Last season with the injury-riddled Panthers, Bobrovsky posted a record of 27-23-1 with a 3.07 goals-against average, a .877 save percentage, and four shutouts.
The Toronto Maple Leafs Have Signed Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky
Bobrovsky has spent the last seven years with the Florida Panthers, which include a pair of Stanley Cup victories over the Edmonton Oilers in 2024 and 2025.
Bobrovsky was never drafted into the NHL, and instead signed a three-year entry level contract with the Philadelphia Flyers, eventually making his debut during the 2010-11 NHL season after several years in the KHL with Metallurg Novokuznetsk.
He would play two seasons with the Flyers before eventually being traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets in return for Columbus’ 2012 second-round pick, a 2012 fourth-round pick, and the Phoenix Coyotes’ 2013 fourth-round pick.
It wouldn’t be long before Bobrovsky would help lead the Blue Jackets to multiple appearances in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, which would eventually include a stunning first-round upset over the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2019 Eastern Conference Semifinal before they eventually were beaten by the Boston Bruins.
Bobrovsky then signed a seven year contract with the Florida Panthers, and while he initially struggled in the first few years of the deal, he eventually rounded back into the form that saw him capture the Vezina Trophy as the NHL’s best goalie in 2013 and 2017.
Bobrovsky backstopped the Panthers to Stanley Cup wins over the Oilers in 2024 and 2025 after having helped them reach the Cup Final in 2023, though they were defeated by the Vegas Golden Knights.
But Bobrovsky and the Panthers were not able to agree on a new contract; he reportedly wanted a similar deal to the one signed by now-former teammate Brad Marchand, but GM Bill Zito felt differently.
The Panthers have acquired goaltenders Jacob Markstrom and Akira Schmid, making Bobrovsky expendable.
The Maple Leafs Made A Major Upgrade In Net
Now reunited with Stolarz, the Maple Leafs hope that their new tandem will be enough to not only help them return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but to get over the hump and win multiple rounds.
Maple Leafs GM John Chayka already made a major switch to the club’s goaltending, trading Joseph Woll to the Philadelphia Flyers last month in return for Samuel Ersson, who was then dealt to the Ottawa Senators.
So far in his NHL career with the Flyers, Blue Jackets, and Panthers, Bobrovsky has accumulated a record of 456-266-58 with a 2.61 goals-against average, a .912 save percentage, and 53 shutouts.
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