Jun 22, 2019
Panarin, Bobrovsky to meet with Panthers
TSN Hockey Insider Bob McKenzie reported free agents Sergei Bobrovsky and Artemi Panarin will be in Florida Monday to meet with the Panthers.
TSN.ca Staff
The period to speak to pending unrestricted free agents opens Sunday and the Florida Panthers aren't wasting any time making their pitch to potential targets. TSN Hockey Insider Bob McKenzie reported free agents Sergei Bobrovsky and Artemi Panarin will be in Florida Monday to meet with the Panthers.
McKenzie added the Panthers would like to sign both players but need a goalie more than a forward so the priority may be Bobrovsky.
The 30-year-old Bobrovsky recorded a .913 save percentage and a 2.58 GAA with 37 wins in 62 games with the Columbus Blue Jackets this past season. In the Stanley Cup playoffs, Bobrovsky posted a .925 save percentage and a 2.41 GAA with six wins in 10 games.
After going undrafted, Bobrovsky started his NHL career with the Philadelphia Flyers in 2010. The Russian goaltender was traded to the Blue Jackets in 2012 for a package of draft picks. Bobrovsky has two all-star appearances and two Vezina Trophy’s.
Bobrovsky is coming off a four-year $29.7 million contract.
Bobrovsky has a career .919 save percentage and a 2.46 GAA with 255 wins in 457 career NHL games.
The 27-year-old Panarin scored 28 goals and posted a career-high 87 points in 79 games with the Columbus Blue Jackets this past season. He added five goals and 11 points in 10 playoffs games as the Blue Jackets picked up their first ever series victory, upsetting the Tampa Bay Lightning with a first-round sweep.
He spent the past two seasons with the Blue Jackets after being traded from the Chicago Blackhawks in the summer of 2017 for a package that included Brandon Saad.
Panarin informed the Blue Jackets last summer that he was not ready to sign an extension with the team and his then-agent Dan Milstein announced in January that he would not re-sign with the team in-season. He played out the final season of a two-year, $12 million contract with the Blue Jackets this year.
After playing in the KHL from 2008-15, Panarin won the Calder Trophy with the Blackhawks in 2016 after scoring 30 goals and posting 77 points in his first NHL season.
The Russian winger has 116 goals and 320 points in 322 career NHL games.
Free agency opens July 1.