As part of their major offseason transformation under GM John Chayka, the Toronto Maple Leafs lured goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky into the fold with a three-year, $21 million contract carrying a $7 million cap hit.
This came after he was unable to come to terms on an agreement with the divisional rival Florida Panthers, whom he’d played with for the last seven years while winning a pair of Stanley Cup rings, on a new deal.
But so far, his regular season play has been anything but inspiring, especially in the wake of Wednesday’s 5-4 loss to the Seattle Kraken at Climate Pledge Arena in the Pacific Northwest.
Toronto Maple Leafs Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky’s Blunt Reaction After Subpar Outing In Loss Against Kraken
Bobrovsky has now allowed at least three goals or more in nine of his first 10 starts since joining the Maple Leafs, including the five he allowed in Toronto’s 5-4 loss to the Kraken on Wednesday.
Bobrovsky allowed the game-winning goal with less than a minute left in regulation, as his former Panthers teammate Brandon Montour’s shot eluded him.
Afterward, he took more ownership of his performance, saying he felt he should have stopped Montour’s game-winning goal.
“I thought guys played well. You know, we deserved a point at least. It was good game. Was good mental challenge. And I thought I could help in the last goal, for sure,” Bobrovsky said.
“Good shot above the pad.”
Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews, who has faced Bobrovsky numerous times over the course of his career, made it clear that he’s in his corner and that they need to do a better job of preventing the opposition from getting prime scoring chances.
“Bob’s been great. I mean, he’s been great for us all year long,” Matthews said. “Every now and then there’s going to be a couple you want back. But in the end, I put it more on us as a five-man unit, not doing enough to help him out in certain situations where they’re coming down and getting Grade-A chances.”
Maple Leafs GM John Chayka Recently Defended Bobrovsky As A Slower Starter
Recently, Maple Leafs GM John Chayka defended his prize offseason acquisition, saying that he traditionally begins a season slower before his play begins to heat up.
“We were looking at it the other day. He’s historically a slow starter. I think this is his best start — if you look at some (data) adjustments in the last four to five years. You need to win points, and you need to have a good start to the season,” Chayka said on Monday.
“Sergei, we brought him in to be there when the pressure ramps up and we need a rock back there. So, he’s moving well. He’s doing a lot of great things. It’s been great to have him in the locker room, around the guys. And his presence and his detail and his preparation and his approach to wins, approach to losses, it doesn’t really change. So, there’s a lot of really good things there.”
Sergei Bobrovsky’s Blunt Reaction After Maple Leafs’ Loss to Kraken