Has Florida got good return on that Bobrovsky investment or it's still not enough?

[Fatass]

I mean as far as I remember it was considered a pretty risky investment.

He was one of the key players in them winning the Cup. So absolutely the club got their money’s worth. The goal is to win the Cup, no?

 

[Kshahdoo]

He was one of the key players in them winning the Cup. So absolutely the club got their money’s worth. The goal is to win the Cup, no?

Yeah, but they've paid him a lot of money and still owe some, pretty big some I'd say. That's why the question.

 

[Crazy Cizikas]

You mean he has no cap limitations

No. I mean he gets paid a lot of money. But he’s worth it. Because he’s good.

 

[Fatass]

Yeah, but they've paid him a lot of money and still owe some, pretty big some I'd say. That's why the question.

What’s the ultimate goal of every club? Win the Cup, right? Goalie Bob’s was key in the Panthers winning the Cup. Imo there’s only one answer to the question about his contract’s value.

 

[MCR74]

Chances are FLA return to the finals before Bob retires, so yes it was a good investment.

 

[Crazy Cizikas]

The Bob contract is the kind of deal that fans of non-playoff teams laugh about all regular season, and then come playoff time nobody complains about his salary

It’s kinda weird how people here undervalue goaltending.

 

[Kshahdoo]

What’s the ultimate goal of every club? Win the Cup, right? Goalie Bob’s was key in the Panthers winning the Cup. Imo there’s only one answer to the question about his contract’s value.

I'd say the ultimate goal is actually to be profitable.

 

[Poppy Whoa Sonnet]

It was considered one of the worst contracts in the league for a few years. Ultimately they overpaid, and not many teams are looking to emulate that deal for good reason, but he never got so bad as to become unplayable and that's the true fear with giving goalies term (and money) so it worked out.

Still I'd say no, they didn't get a good return, and there's a reason why no goalie's AAV has come close to 10m since the Bob/Price deals were signed 5 years ago.

 

[Fatass]

I'd say the ultimate goal is actually to be profitable.

That’s an interesting view, especially coming from a fan. Watching the Panthers’ players, coaches, management, and ownership celebrating their Cup win and I’d suggest otherwise. Watching every Cup celebration suggests otherwise.

It was considered one of the worst contracts in the league for a few years. Ultimately they overpaid, and not many teams are looking to emulate that deal for good reason, but he never got so bad as to become unplayable and that's the true fear with giving goalies term (and money) so it worked out.

Still I'd say no, they didn't get a good return, and there's a reason why no goalie's AAV has come close to 10m since the Bob/Price deals were signed 5 years ago.

Every team wants the Cup. Bob won his club the Cup. That makes his contract worthwhile.

 

[Poppy Whoa Sonnet]

That’s an interesting view, especially coming from a fan. Watching the Panthers’ players, coaches, management, and ownership celebrating their Cup win and I’d suggest otherwise. Watching every Cup celebration suggests otherwise.


Every team wants the Cup. Bob won his club the Cup. That makes his contract worthwhile.

You can make mistakes or make poor investments and still win the cup. The bruins traded away Joe Thornton in a horrible deal and then won the cup shortly afterward. The Panthers' team last year spent 3m in cap money on Spencer Knight's buried deal. It's not that black and white.

 

[TheDawnOfANewTage]

You take that risk to win a cup. You're never guaranteed a cup, no matter how stacked the roster is on paper.

They got one, largely because of him.

Mission accomplished. He could suck the rest of the way, and I'm sure Panthers fans would still not regret that deal.

This, but it also shouldn’t be used as a basis for future goalie contracts or anything. That contract looked bad up until two strong playoff runs (50-60 games max?) that luckily coincided with a really strong roster. Goalies tend to fall off/get hurt more these days, it seems, and Bob struggled for a few seasons after that big deal. It’s a coin flip as to whether a guy can right the ship, and then whether he can produce in the playoffs (see: Freddie Andersen). Bob did both those things because he’s awesome, but I wouldn’t bank on that with 90% of goalies.

Glad he did it- I remember people saying he got lazy after the deal, and I hate that narrative. Nah, pressure just be like that, performance comes and goes, dude took some shit and came back stronger. Worth it.

 

[Golden_Jet]

Yeah, but they've paid him a lot of money and still owe some, pretty big some I'd say. That's why the question.

The goal is to win the cup.

 

[HockeyVirus]

Two cup finals one cup. Vezina-nominee. And he cost lest than Mitch Marner, who have failed in the plaoffs every year in his career.

Funny enough Bobrovsky was a well known playoff choke artist until he turned 30. If Bob can do it maybe Mitch can too.

 

[Price is Wright]

He hasn't been able to hit the .920 mark he did in Columbus four out of seven seasons. That said his performance in the playoffs for the past three postseasons is very good (his save percentage was great last playoffs but he got lit up once every series which skewed it. He was the Conn Smythe favourite until Edmonton.)

Last season he was a .915 but 6th in save percentage for goalies that played at least 30 games.

I think he got paid to be a .920+ goalie and he hasn't done it, so one could argue he was overpaid. He struggled at the start of the deal but bounced back and if he finishes his final two seasons strong then once you add the Cup I would say he was a good return.

Pro scouting matters but I would rather pay Bobrovsky a couple million more than whatever his "true value" is over what too many teams do, which is skimp on the goalie budget while overpaying free agents to fill holes in the lineup.

 

[BagHead]

I think Bob has been just good enough for Florida to become a Cup champion. Or maybe I should say, he has been good enough when it matters most, very timely. I don't think his overall performance wins a Cup for just any team, but it does for a team as well built as the Panthers. I also don't think the Panthers would have won that Cup with a lesser goalie. Neither could do it without the other.

Absolutely. Big reason for the Panthers success over the past 2 years.

Also they didn't have a ton of other choices. Bobby Lu just retired, the other UFA's that year were Lehner, Varlamov, Mrazek, Mike Smith and Curtis Mcelhinney. Clearly Bob was the best of that UFA class.

I love this post. People often like to look at decisions and situations out of context, but the context is important. It's easy to naysay an idea when you ignore the alternatives, less so when you consider them.

 

[DitchMarner]

Every Panther fan hated the deal after year 1. None of us are complaining anymore. He was excellent the last 2 playoff runs.

I remember he was a popular mention in worst current contract threads and maybe even in worst contract of the cap era discussions. I'm sure he's not anymore.

He played an integral role in getting a franchise that needed respectability to two SCF appearances in a row and helped the Panthers win their first Cup.

 

[Video Nasty]

He hasn't been able to hit the .920 mark he did in Columbus four out of seven seasons. That said his performance in the playoffs for the past three postseasons is very good (his save percentage was great last playoffs but he got lit up once every series which skewed it. He was the Conn Smythe favourite until Edmonton.)

Last season he was a .915 but 6th in save percentage for goalies that played at least 30 games.

I think he got paid to be a .920+ goalie and he hasn't done it, so one could argue he was overpaid. He struggled at the start of the deal but bounced back and if he finishes his final two seasons strong then once you add the Cup I would say he was a good return.

Pro scouting matters but I would rather pay Bobrovsky a couple million more than whatever his "true value" is over what too many teams do, which is skimp on the goalie budget while overpaying free agents to fill holes in the lineup.

.920+ is no longer a reasonable expectation. The number of goalies hitting that figure with 50+ starts per season has been steadily ticking down over the past few seasons. Hellebuyck and Demko were the only ones above .916 (.921 and .918 respectively). The goalposts have changed since the start of his contract and 2 SCF, 1 Cup, and a Vezina finalist over the last 15 months means he’s currently living up to it.

 

[featherhawk]

yes they have got good value... Bob was a huge part in getting a CUP to FLA...1 was the first goal, I am sure they have a goal of winning a few more and the window is wide open for them to do that...Competition this year will be stiff...

 

[Ratsreign]

I'd say the ultimate goal is actually to be profitable.

Can’t argue with that, but competing for/winning Cup(s) greatly helps to achieve the owner’s ultimate goal.

 

[JPT]

I suppose it depends on what the expected return on investment was when they signed him, but, assuming winning a Cup was the expectation, it's hard to argue that they haven't.

 

[Mogo]

It’s kinda weird how people here undervalue goaltending.

I feel goaltending has been undervalued for a long time now. Most teams / fans think a 1-2 punch is the best.
Come playoff time IMO you have to have a clear cut #1

 

[nucksflailtogether]

Bizarre timing for a thread like this right after Panthers win the Cup and was in the finals the previous year and a main reason for their success being Bob

On Hfboards cap space > everything else. Sure, they got a cup but what else could they have gotten with that cap space?!

Also, people simply cannot let go of things like that. He had a couple of bad seasons to start his contract which burned it into their heads that it was a bad contract, which of course it was until it wasn't. People are like children with their inability to pivot to a different opinion based on different circumstances.

It's the same with Brock Boeser here in Vancouver. People could not let go of his previous seasons and simply could not come to terms with the fact that he had turned it around. Because that would mean they were wrong, and that just can't be. 40 goals and leading playoff goal scorer? Nice, that'll up his trade value and some sucker will finally take him off our hands.

 

[Ratsreign]

Bob struggled when FL was running and gunning and too often leaving him on an island. His play greatly improved when FL started focusing more on playing solid defense in front of him. Funny how the two are so intertwined....
Goalie stats can be so misleading, like the goalie is playing in a vacuum and his team’s play in front of him has no impact on his performance.

 

[Three On Zero]

Helped win a President’s Trophy and the Stanley Cup. I would say it paid off

 

[NVious]

If you win a cup, it's all water under the bridge.

If the Leafs won a cup with Komisarek, Clarkson and Finger I'd still be on here defending their honor, to this day.