Undrafted to Unstoppable: Sergei Bobrovsky’s Path to 400 NHL Wins

As the Florida Panthers defeated the New York Rangers, goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky recorded his 400th NHL win. He became the fastest goalie to do so, reaching this milestone in only 707 games played. Although he struggled with consistency for a while, (like most NHL goalies) Borbrovsky has had a very successful career.

In this article, we will take a closer look to how the Russian goaltender panned out in the NHL.

Bobrovsky’s Path To The NHL

At 36, Sergei Bobrovsky has had quite an interesting career. Despite going undrafted, he signed an entry-level contract with the Philadelphia Flyers in 2010 at 24, following three seasons as a pro in Russia. He made an immediate impact, drawing attention across the league.

His popularity soared when TSN SportsCenter’s Jay Onrait began enthusiastically calling his games, famously shouting his last name and dubbing him the “number one cop on the force.” The humorous catchphrase quickly became a fan favorite, adding to his rising stardom.

The Trade That Brought Bobrovsky to Florida

Despite Bobrovsky having a great rookie season, the Flyers felt they needed to solidify their goaltending position. In 2011, they signed Ilya Bryzgalov to a nine-year contract worth $51 million. This move made the young Bobrovsky a backup for the season. Philadelphia’s huge commitment to their new goalie forced them to move on from Bobrovsky.

The very next offseason, the Flyers traded him to the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for a second and two fourth-round picks. The Philadelphia Flyers eventually moved on from Bryzgalov, buying him out two years into his nine-year contract. Meanwhile, Bobrovsky played seven seasons with the Columbus Blue Jackets, posting some incredible numbers and winning the Vezina Trophy twice.

Falling Short In Columbus

In the 2018-19 season, Bobrovsky played his last season with Columbus as it was predictable he would hit free agency. Same for his teammate and fellow star Russian Artemi Panarin. In an attempt to go all in ahead of the playoffs, general manager Jarmo Kekalainen made moves to acquire forwards Matt Duchene and Ryan Dzingel from the Ottawa Senators. The team managed to sweep the Presidents Trophy-winning Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round of the playoffs. They fell short against the Boston Bruins in the next round. The Bruins went on to lose to the St. Louis Blues in seven games in the Stanley Cup Final that year.

Signing To Florida

After that season, Bobrovsky signed a seven-year $70 million deal in free agency with the Florida Panthers. In his first years in the Sunshine State, it seemed like he lost his game. It almost looked like he had lifted his foot from the gas pedal having settled in the south. The goaltender was looked at as a top-five player in his position for years. That seemed to change after his move from Columbus.

In the 2022 offseason, the Panthers acquired forward Matthew Tkachuk, a player who had an immediate impact on the team. The move helped the team so much in the sense that they had a completely new identity. They became a very hard team to play against, relying less on skill and more on hard work. The Panthers made it to the Stanley Cup Finals that very year, after barely making the playoffs. Bobrovsky didn’t have a great season but stepped his game up in the playoffs enough to take his team to get a chance to win it all. Unfortunately, they fell short to the Vegas Golden Knights.

His Value To The Panthers

The next year, Bobrovsky looked hungrier than ever. In the 2023-24 season, he finished the year with a 2.37 goals against average and a .915 save percentage, making him a Vezina Trophy nominee for the sixth time in his career. His team finished fifth in overall standings and looked poised to make some noise yet again in the playoffs.

The Panthers ended up winning it all after back-to-back finals. Bobrovsky’s performance helped lead Florida to its first-ever Stanley Cup. In a rare set of events, the Conn Smythe trophy presented to the NHL playoffs’ most valuable player was given to a losing team’s player that year. Edmonton Oilers’ captain Connor McDavid was awarded the trophy after putting up an unbelievable 42 points in 25 games and beating Wayne Gretzky‘s playoff assist record with 34. Many think Sergei Bobrovsky would have been the most valuable player in Florida’s Stanley Cup run.

Bobrovsky’s record-breaking win on Thursday night is just a quick reminder that he is among the great goaltenders to have played the game. He has had a very interesting time in the NHL and will likely be a Hall of Famer.

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