Maple Leafs shouldn't worry about the length of Bobrovsky's contract

When the Toronto Maple Leafs signed Sergei Bobrovsky to a three-year, $21 million contract, which carries an AAV of $7 million. It didn't take long for the hot takes to start flying around from Toronto media. On a recent episode of TSN’s OverDrive, radio personality Bryan Hayes mentioned that there could be some concern with the Bobrovsky contract. More specifically, raising concern at how he could look in the final year of his new deal. 

Hayes compares Bobrovsky’s contract to Marleau’s

Hayes voiced his concerns with the Bobrovsky contract and compared it to the Patrick Marleau contract from the early Auston Matthews era. 

"“It’s a pressure-packed deal. There’s a Patrick Marleau element to this, you know? They need him to be great, year one. Year three is not going to be great; you’re paying him a three-year deal at $21 million total with a full no-movement under the understanding that year three is probably not going to be good. "

Hayes - TSN OverDrive

He then alluded to his nervousness that comes with what Bobrovsky could look like and referenced the Marleau trade that landed the Carolina Hurricanes a first-round pick with which they used to draft Seth Jarvis. However, despite the concerns of a three-year deal, this could end up being a contract that is priceless for the organization. And not just because of his play on the ice and what this team may accomplish with him between the pipes. But because of the mentorship that he can have from Artur Akhtyamov.

By the 2028-29 season, the goal isn't for Bobrovsky to be carrying a heavy starter's workload. The obvious plan is for Akhtyamov to have fully transitioned into the primary starter's crease. Having a two-time Stanley Cup champion and two-time Vezina winner sitting in the backup stall helping guide him through his first full years as an NHL starter is a huge plus that could go a long way in Akhtyamov’s development.

Financially, the $7 million cap hit looks much less daunting when you factor in the projected growth of the salary cap. With cap projections continuing to climb toward and past the $100 million threshold over the next few seasons, a $7 million hit in 2028-29 will represent a significantly smaller percentage of Toronto's overall cap space than it does today.

There is a good chance that after Bobrovsky’s contract is over, both the fan base and organization will look back and think about how great the signing was. For multiple reasons, but the two biggest things have to come down to his play on the ice and how he will make the team feel more confident with him between the pipes. As well as the mentorship that will come from Akhtyamov and how that could affect his career going forward.

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