Each NHL team’s worst contract heading into the 2019-20 season

Florida Panthers – Sergei Bobrovsky

Contract: $10 million cap hit over the next seven years; full no-movement clause; 16-team no-trade list starting in 2024-25 (year six)

It’s not a question of if the Florida Panthers will regret signing Sergei Bobrovsky. Rather, it’s a matter of when they will. And trust me, the Panthers will, at some point, be handcuffed by his deal. They are hoping Bobrovsky helps them win a Stanley Cup or two before that point. If he does, his deal will look a little bit better. But if Bobrovsky doesn’t, his deal will be remembered poorly.

There are so many red flags with his contract. First of all, Bobrovsky’s a goaltender who turns 31 in September. Goalies over 30 typically do not age well. While it’s worth pointing out Bobrovsky has put up impressive numbers and could very well defy Father Time, goalies who can do that are the exception, not the rule. It would be foolish to assume he will. At best, it’s more like you hope he will.

I get why the Panthers signed Bobrovsky. They really needed a goaltender and Bob was the most accomplished one on the market. However, he’s the second-highest-paid goalie in the NHL right now. Even if Bobrovsky bounces back from his worst regular season in years, he likely isn’t going to be the second-best goalie in the NHL.

This signing makes even less sense when you remember the Panthers went out of their way to draft Spencer Knight in the first-round of the 2019 NHL Draft before signing Bobrovsky. Signing Robin Lehner to a two-year or three-year deal would have made sense. Instead, the Panthers have to hope Bobrovsky is one of the few goalies who can avoid Father Time. The odds are against him.

Dishonorable mentions: At $4.875 million a year, defenseman Michael Matheson doesn’t have a very high bar to clear to live up to his contract. The bar’s pretty much on the floor. Matheson still hasn’t reached it.