The Florida Panthers are in rare company, coming off of back-to-back Stanley Cup victories. The Panthers are keeping the hardest trophy to win in the state of Florida. A total team effort throughout this roster is something to take note of as they have everything in place to run it back next season.
While forward Sam Bennett won the Conn Smythe Award for playoff MVP, goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky was excellent between the pipes. He left the offensive Edmonton Oilers looking bewildered as they could not solve him. With his success, is Bobrovsky a sure bet to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame someday?
Bobrovsky is consistently a winner
Bobrovsky is 36 years old but one could not see that in the way he has played this season. After getting off to a lackluster start, he locked in and played spectacular hockey leading into the playoffs. Once in the playoffs, he took it up a notch and was unbelievable at times.
Undrafted, he has done wonders with his NHL career, surpassing some of the greats ahead of him. Does he have the accolades to be among the NHL's all-time elite goaltenders?
Bobrovsky also spent time with the Philadelphia Flyers and Columbus Blue Jackets. An unknown with the Flyers, he stood out among the best in the league with the Blue Jackets and put his name on the map of the league's best. After some time with the Blue Jackets, he signed as a free agent with Florida on July 1, 2019. He struggled a bit early on, but has recovered to win two Stanley Cups.
Bobrovsky's well-decorated resume
In NHL history, Bobrovksy ranks 10th in wins with 429. He has two Stanley Cups, two Vezina Trophies, is a three-time all-star, and has just one losing record in his 15-year career. Not bad for an undrafted goaltender.
In the Panthers franchise history, most of the goalie records are held by Roberto Luongo. However, Bobrovsky has the most wins in a single season with 39 as well as the second-most with 36. He also ranks fifth in save percentage with .907.
Facing one of the league's best offenses, he shut them down in the Final. He allowed just seven goals in six games, posted a 4-2 record and a .920 save percentage. Consider him as a money goaltender, as the last two years have put him above many players in the same category.
While the Panthers may be considered a dynasty at this point, Bobrovsky is etching his name into the Hockey Hall of Fame. He does not have elite standout numbers, but his statistics are among those who are already in.
For goaltenders, the criteria seems to be the number of Stanley Cups, wins, and Vezina Trophies. Bobrovsky qualifies for the Hockey Hall of Fame based on this criteria alone. For me, it is a no-brainer that he is in and he deserves to be in. However, we will have to wait to see if he is first ballot or not.