Sergei Bobrovsky is moving to Toronto on a three-year deal and says he’s eager to take on the challenge with the Maple Leafs. The 37-year-old goaltender leaves the Florida Panthers after seven seasons that included back-to-back Stanley Cup titles in 2024 and 2025.
Bobrovsky expressed appreciation for his time in Florida and noted that he understood the organization’s decision to change direction. Florida traded for Jacob Markstrom after last season, when Bobrovsky posted a career-worst .877 save percentage in 52 games. That move signaled to him that his run with the Panthers had likely ended.
Bobrovsky’s New Challenge with the Maple Leafs
He arrives in Toronto embracing the expectations that come with playing for an Original Six team, describing the city as the center of the hockey world and the job as a significant responsibility. The Maple Leafs have made him a focal point of a busy offseason led by general manager John Chayka, showing confidence he can rebound after a difficult year in which Florida missed the playoffs following three consecutive trips to the Stanley Cup Final. The Panthers’ season was disrupted early by a major knee injury to captain Aleksander Barkov.
Even with last season’s dip, Bobrovsky’s recent body of work stands out. Since joining Florida in 2019, his 201 victories rank third among NHL goalies in that span, behind only Andrei Vasilevskiy and Connor Hellebuyck. For his career, the undrafted 2010 signee of the Philadelphia Flyers is 456-266-58 with a 2.61 goals-against average, a .912 save percentage, and 53 shutouts in 806 regular-season games (791 starts). He ranks seventh in NHL history in wins and has won the Vezina Trophy twice (2013, 2017), keeping him on a Hall of Fame track.
Bobrovsky will reunite in Toronto with Anthony Stolarz, his former Panthers tandem partner during the 2023-24 championship season. He also expects to mentor 24-year-old Artur Akhtyamov, the recent AHL playoff MVP who backstopped the Toronto Marlies to the Calder Cup. First overall draft pick Gavin McKenna has already agreed to give up No. 72 so Bobrovsky can keep his longtime jersey number.
With a new team, familiar support in net, and a young prospect group around him, Bobrovsky sees this move as the start of another chapter and is focused on helping the Maple Leafs contend.