Panthers goalie one win away from finalizing Hall of Fame resume

Florida Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky is one of the main reasons his team has a commanding 3-0 lead in the Stanley Cup Final over the Edmonton Oilers, and he has now emerged as the clear favorite to be the Conn Smythe Trophy winner and playoff MVP.

If he and the Panthers can finish the job on Saturday, or in any of the remaining four games, and win the Stanley Cup, it will not only give Bobrovsky his first championship ring, but also remove all doubt and debate as to whether or not he is a Hall of Famer.

The only debate that might follow is whether or not he is a first ballot Hall of Famer. 

That is what this series and performance means to his career and legacy and how close he is to being remembered as one of the game's all-time greats. 

Bobrovsky has already — very quietly — put together a borderline Hall of Fame resume that has included 396 regular season wins and a .915 career save percentage over 14 seasons with the Philadelphia Flyers, Columbus Blue Jackets and now Panthers. 

That win total places him 14th on the NHL's all-time list, while the save percentage is 25th.

Those are excellent numbers, but on their own may not rise to the level of Hall of Famer. What separates Bobrovsky is the hardware and the awards. The awards he already has, and the awards he might soon get. 

Bobrovsky is already in rare company as a two-time Vezina Trophy (best goalie in the NHL) winner, making him one of just 22 goalies to accomplish that. Only three of the goalies on that list (Tim Thomas, Charlie Hodge and Michel Larocque) are not in the Hall of Fame. 

An important thing to keep in mind there is that Hodge and Larocque played in an era when the Vezina Trophy was a shared award and simply handed out to the goalies on the team that allowed the fewest goals in the league (the Jennings Trophy eventually replaced that). Thomas had a very short peak and did not accumulate the counting stats of Bobrovsky.

Bobrovsky is already so close and right on the threshold of being a Hall of Famer. Assuming he keeps playing beyond this season, he is going to eclipse 400 career regular-season wins, make a run at 40 shutouts and, as long as the Panthers keep this core together, have a chance to keeping adding championship-caliber seasons.

Getting the first one will be the biggest key. He is just one win away from it.