Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Jim Hiller shared his reaction to goalie Sergei Bobrovsky’s tough start to the season.
The Maple Leafs gave the 38-year-old Bobrovsky a three-year, $21 million free-agent contract this summer, but he has been disappointing so far for the team.
The two-time Vezina Trophy winner, as the league’s best goaltender, has a 3-8-2 record with a bloated 3.47 GAA and a subpar .881 SV%.
The numbers are terrible, and Bobrovsky hasn’t passed the eye test, which has led to Maple Leafs fans calling for the team to bench the veteran netminder.
But Hiller is still confident in his No. 1 goalie.
Jim Hiller Remains Confident in Sergei Bobrovsky
Speaking to reporters ahead of Saturday’s game between the Maple Leafs and Edmonton Oilers, a game where Toronto will start Anthony Solarz instead of Bobrovsky, Hiller shared his reaction to Bobrovsky’s disappointing start to he season.
“He’s had some really good games. He’s had some average games. Like every player, no different than forwards, defensemen, everybody else. Power play, penalty kill, just keep working on areas of the game and try to get better. So that goes for everybody, though. We can’t just look to one guy. I mean, you can poke holes in our game in different areas and different players. Everybody’s trying to get better,” Hiller said.
Sergei Bobrovsky Not Living Up to His Contract
With a $7 million AAV, Bobrovsky is among the highest-paid goalies in the league this season and for the next two seasons after this one, but right now, he certainly isn’t living up to the expectations based on his bloated contract.
When prodded by a reporter on whether Bobrovsky has played up to the expectations of his contract, Hiller pushed back.
“I mean, I guess that’s your evaluation. We continue to work with all our guys, support all of your guys, and have high expectations. The expectations for every player are high, and they should be,” Hiller said.
For the Maple Leafs’ sake, hopefully Bobrovsky can get his game back on track; otherwise, this contract is going to look like a major anchor to their salary cap.
Jim Hiller Comments on Sergei Bobrovsky’s Play for Maple Leafs