The Florida Panthers were ranked eighth in NHL.com’s Super 16: Best tandems in NHL ranked to celebrate Goalie Week article. Amalie Benjamin had this to say about Florida’s battery of Sergei Bobrovksy and Daniil Tarasov:
Sergei Bobrovsky is doing all the heavy lifting here, given that the Panthers are expected to have Daniil Tarasov as their backup. Tarasov played 20 games (19 starts) for the Columbus Blue Jackets last season and had a 3.54 GAA and .881 save percentage. That means it mostly comes down to the apparently never-aging Bobrovsky, who helped the Panthers to their second straight Stanley Cup win last season. Bobrovsky, who turns 37 on Sept. 20, had a 2.44 GAA and .906 save percentage in 54 games, turning it on for a 2.20 GAA and .914 save percentage in the playoffs. Had Florida gotten itself a more proven backup, it’d be higher up on the list (I have the Panthers at No. 15), but I’m willing to see what Bobrovsky can help bring out of his backup, given that both are from the same hometown in Russia (Novokuznetsk). Bobrovsky keeps himself in tremendous shape — and he’s in a contract year — but eventually all the games will have to catch up to him. As you can see, I’m conflicted about the goalie situation in Florida, but I’m also wary of selling the Panthers short, given what we’ve all witnessed the past three seasons.”
Speaking of that heavy lifting, Bobrovsky was ranked fourth on NHL Network’s Top 10 Goalies Right Now countdown, highlighting the league’s top-performing keepers. A two-time NHL All-Star and Vezina Trophy recipient, Bobrovsky earned his ranking following a dominant 2024-2025 season, finishing one spot ahead of the Dallas Stars’ Jake Oettinger and one spot behind the New York Rangers’ Igor Shesterkin.
NHL Network’s Top 10 Goalies Right Now, 1-10:
- Connor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg Jets
- Andrei Vasilevskiy, Tampa Bay Lightning
- Igor Shesterkin, New York Rangers
- Sergei Bobrovsky, Florida Panthers
- Jake Oettinger, Dallas Stars
- Ilya Sorokin, New York Islanders
- Jordan Binnington, St. Louis Blues
- Filip Gustavsson, Minnesota Wild
- Darcy Kuemper, Los Angeles Kings
- Linus Ullmark, Ottawa Senators
The Ottawa Senators re-signed defenseman Donovan Sebrango to a one-year contract worth $775K. Sebrango made his first two NHL appearances with the Senators last season and played 50 games with AHL Belleville, where he produced eight goals and 20 points.