A quick update on the Florida Panthers goaltending situation as the Stanley Cup Playoffs move into the conference finals.
We know that as of now, the Panthers do not have any NHL goaltenders under contract for the upcoming season.
Longtime starting netminder Sergei Bobrovsky is an unrestricted free agent now that the seven-year, $70 million contract he signed with Florida back in 2019 has expired.
Bobrovsky, who will be 38 on Opening Night, is reportedly looking for a decent-sized payday on what will likely be his final contract in the NHL.
During his seven seasons in South Florida, Bobrovsky led the Panthers to the playoffs in six of those years, backstopping the Cats to three straight Stanley Cup Final appearances from 2023 to 2025 and back-to-back championships during the two latter trips.
He’s beloved in the locker room, with many of his teammates coming to bat for him during the past several months when the topic of his expiring contract came up, often expressing their feelings about his importance to the team and how crucial he is to their future success.
“We can’t lose him,” Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk said following Florida’s final regular season game last month. “He’s our guy. He’s gonna get us back to where we want to be. The most important piece of our team the last few years, what he’s done. It’s just the character, the work ethic, the drive. He sets the tone, whether it’s off ice or on ice. I don’t care what age he is, he is the backbone of this team. If we’re gonna get back there, we’re probably gonna need him.”
That begs the question that if Bobrovsky is such a team-first guy, wouldn’t he fall in line with what every other Panthers player who signed a term contract has done before him?
Go down the list…every player who has agreed to an extension with the Panthers has signed a team-friendly deal for less than what they likely would’ve been offered on the open market.
Despite his age, Bobrovsky would still likely fetch a pretty penny if he wanted to test the free agent waters and see what kind of bidding war he could start up.
That’s a big if, though.
Bobrovsky enjoys living in South Florida and reportedly wants to stay there. It’s where he and his wife have welcomed their first two children in recent years, becoming more ingrained in the community and enjoying all the perks living in a tropical climate has to offer.
Should it continue to play out that Bobrovsky is seeking a bigger payday than what the Panthers are looking to hand out, it would make sense that Florida General Manager Bill Zito and his staff explore other potential options to backstop the Cup contending Cats.
One of those options could be one of the top goaltenders in the world.
Winnipeg’s Connor Hellebuyck made it clear during his exit interview with the media that he was not pleased, calling his team’s performance last season unacceptable and saying things had to change if they were going to become elite.
Hellebuyck has won quite a few hockey games during his 11 seasons in the NHL, including three Vezina Trophies; in 2020, 2024 and 2025.
He’ll be 33 on opening night (his birthday is Tuesday, actually), and has five years remaining on his current contract that pays an average annual value (AAV) of $8.5 million.
Now if any team is equipped to evaluate an aging goaltender, you would think it’s the Panthers.
So where does that leave us?
Well, the main questions from a Florida perspective are whether Hellebuyck is looking for an exit from Winnipeg and, if so, would the Panthers be interested in exploring a trade.
The Hellebuyck element of that proposition is still yet to be known.
As for the Panthers’ side, THN Florida has learned that the team has had internal discussions regarding acquiring the veteran goaltender, and that should it turn out Hellebuyck is available, interest would be high in obtaining his services.
To be fair, none of that should be Earth-shattering information.
The Panthers currently have a need for goaltending so it makes sense they would be on top of exploring all the best possible options.
It’s called due diligence.
We’ll see how things play out between the Panthers and Bobrovsky’s camp in the coming weeks, and if the temperature cools on the Hellebuyck situation in Winnipeg.
NHL Insider David Pagnotta recently reported that there has been increasing chatter around the league regarding Hellebuyck’s availability.
“There are a lot of people around the league now that are starting to talk, and there is some speculation within the league that there may be an opportunity, there may be a play to make for Connor Hellebuyck,” Pagnotta said Friday on the DFO Rundown Insider Edition with Irfaan Gaffar. “He’s got full control. The Jets have to do nothing. I’m not saying the Jets are trying to trade him, that’s not the case. They love him and they want to keep him there for the duration of his contract; they want to win with him.”
Pagnotta went to say that there are teams around the league who believe there may be an opportunity to explore a possible trade, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the Jets will feel the same way if and when those calls come in.
Winnipeg is one season removed from winning the Presidents’ Trophy and has a roster full of talent, so unless Hellebuyck wants out, it would make sense that they would want to continue pushing for a Stanley Cup while adding to the core that they’ve built, not taking away a massive piece.
So yeah, there are a lot of moving parts, and we’re only discussing two goaltenders.
There is a lot that can happen between now, the NHL Draft at the end of the next month, and free agency which begins a few days later on July 1.
Stay tuned.
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Photo captions: Jan 12, 2026; Buffalo, New York, USA; Florida Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky (72) looks for the puck during the second period against the Buffalo Sabres at KeyBank Center. (Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images)
Apr 9, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck (37) looks on during the second period against the St. Louis Blues at Enterprise Center. (Jeff Curry-Imagn Images)
