Hurricanes Were Right to Turn Down Huge Trade for MVP Playoff Goaltender

The Carolina Hurricanes had an opportunity at the NHL trade deadline to add an NHL playoff MVP-caliber goaltender. The Hurricanes inquired about the availability of Sergei Bobrovsky from the Florida Panthers. A report from Pierre LeBrun suggests that the Panthers would have made the trade, but they wanted a first-round pick in return.

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It was a steep price to pay for a goaltender who was having a terrible season, but Bobrovsky is Bobrovsky. He could have flipped a switch and become the wall for Carolina that they needed with somewhat unproven netminding. Bussi played in 39 regular-season games and had a 2.47 goals against and a .895 save percentage. It was good, but prior to this season, he’d never played an NHL playoff game. Andersen had a 3.05 goals-against average and an .874 save percentage. His playoff numbers had been solid.

The Hurricanes gambled that both options were as good as spending a huge amount on a pure rental, which is what Bobrovsky would have been. They weren’t in the market to give away first-round picks for anything less than a sure thing. The way Bobrovsky had played up to that point in the season, the jury was out.

While Frederik Andersen hasn’t played well of late, and Bussi has stepped in and done an admirable job. In the three games he’s played, he’s improved his goals against to 2.18 and his save percentage has jumped to .908. He’s won the starting job and picked up a 23-save win in Game 5. The Hurricanes are up 3-2 in the Stanley Cup Final and Vegas is starting to look like they’re running out of gas against a relentless Carolina attack.

Rod Brind’Amour said recently that Bussi kind of fell into their lap, and they knew he was a good goalie when he got his first start. Up until then, they weren’t really sure because he hadn’t seen Bussi play. “He’s given us a chance to win every night and that’s what you want out of a goalie.”

Is Bobrovsky Trending Downward?

Bobrovsky, meanwhile, is looking to cash in on one more contract, but the Florida Panthers aren’t about to spend big to keep him, and he may have to move on if money is his motivator. How many teams will be excited to spend big on a 37-year-old remains to be seen.

Sometimes the best moves are the ones you don’t make. Right now, it’s looking like Carolina sticking with what they have and not gambling big on Bobrovsky was the right decision.

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