Panthers Goalie Skyrockets to Top of NHL Trade Targets

The Florida Panthers are entering seller mode as they continue to sit outside the Eastern Conference playoff race. Even with the return of superstar forward Matthew Tkachuk, the team is still 10 points back of the final Wild Card spot in the East and 13 points back of one of the top three teams in the Atlantic Division.

It seems that any hope for the Panthers winning their third consecutive Stanley Cup is now gone. The Panthers are willing to listen to trade calls for their pending unrestricted free agents.

That includes their stalwart in net, Sergei Bobrovsky, per a report from NHL insider Pierre LeBrun. The goaltender who backstopped the team to back-to-back championships is in the final year of his contract. It's a difficult pill to swallow, but the timing is right for the Panthers to ship out their All-Star goalie.

Why This Makes Sense for Panthers

Listen, the Panthers aren't making the playoffs this year, let alone defending their Stanley Cup. That's the price you pay for back-to-back Cups. Injuries and fatigue have finally caught up and humbled this Florida franchise.

Their best option forward is to retool on the fly. With multiple key pieces locked in for the next few seasons, they have a realistic chance to bounce back next season.

To jumpstart that, they can trade Bobrovsky. He's 37 years old, but he's still a rock-solid net minder. His stat line this season does not indicate what he can do. He's 22-19-1 with a 3.13 goals-against average and .873 save percentage.

The thing to remember after reading that disappointing group of numbers is how bad the defense in front of Bobrovsky is. According to game data from NHL EDGE, the Panthers have surrendered 236 high-danger shots on goal with the veteran in net. The league average is 133.

Bob is getting pelted with shots and still holding up. Behind a better defense, he's likely to return to the clutch playoff performer he's been known as.