6 most important decisions that led to a Stanley Cup for the Florida Panthers

Signing Sergei Bobrovsky for all that money was the best move made

Despite a lot of naysayers, the Florida Panthers signed Sergei Bobrovsky. He had a long stint in the NHL with the Philadelphia Flyers and Columbus Blue Jackets where he was elite. 

As a member of the Blue Jackets, he became known as one of the best goalies in the world. He won two Vezina Trophies there and played very well in the playoffs on some mediocre teams. 

That convinced Florida to outbid everyone and sign him for $10 million against the Salary Cap for seven years. Right now, that is 11.4 percent of their entire cap. There was some risk there, especially for a guy entering his age 31 season. 

For a while, it looked like a contract that would handcuff them. It got even more confusing when they spent a first-round pick on a goalie with Spencer Knight. 

However, Knight is developing nicely without pressure to play in the NHL because Bobrovsky has been brilliant. The team, with him as the starter, has won the President’s Trophy, been to the Stanley Cup Final twice, and has won the most recent one. It’s been a remarkable run for him. 

He hasn’t won the Vezina Trophy as a Panther but there are a lot of great goalies in this league. He is a nominee this season but won’t win it because Connor Hellebuyck of the Winnipeg Jets was otherworldly in the regular season. 

Without Bobrovsky, the Panthers would have never won the Stanley Cup. He was brilliant in all four rounds of these playoffs. To say this was a big move for them would be an understatement. 

Bobrovsky didn’t win the Conn Smythe as they gave it to Connor McDavid who was on the losing team. He deserved it but the voters believed that McDavid’s historic point total was worth giving it to him. 

With two more years left on the deal, he could be trash and it would still be worth every penny. It was a big key move that led to them winning it all.