Panthers reportedly 'tried hard' to trade Sergei Bobrovsky in season

The Florida Panthers have some questions that need to be answered over the summer after a disappointing sweep by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the second round of the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs. According to one report, the team was attempting to make a big change while the season was going on.

"I suspect they tried hard to trade [Sergei Bobrovsky] this year or at least lay the ground work to do it," said Elliotte Friedman on his latest 32 Thoughts podcast. "I don't know if it's possible but I've heard they really worked on it, like they really tried to see if it's possible."

It will be interesting to see if the Panthers go back to that attempt in the offseason. The main stumbling block is Bobrovsky's contract. The netminder has a cap hit of $10 million per season for the next three years, with a modified no-trade clause for the final two. It allows him to submit a list of 16 teams (half the league) that he doesn't want to the a member of. As for blaming Bobrovsky for the sweep against the Bolts after a phenomenal regular season, Friedman believes that's not really fair.

"I don't think Bobrovsky was the reason they lost," said Friedman. "I wonder how the organization feels about him? Statistically his performance in the playoffs hasn't been great. But I think blaming him when you've only scored three goals in a series is crazy."


Without Bobrovsky, the Panthers are left with Jonas Johansson and Spencer Knight between the pipes. Both have very little experience at the NHL level. They could look at acquiring another goalie through a trade or free agency. A free agent signing would be difficult to do without moving Bobrovsky first.