Let's not panic and try to send Sergei Bobrovsky to Robidas Island just yet. The 38-year-old goaltender hasn't gotten off to the best start this season, and he might've cost the Toronto Maple Leafs a few points this week, but he's started slowly before and won a Stanley Cup by the end of the season. In fact, he did that twice, which means this isn't the end of the world.
The problem for the Maple Leafs isn't Bobrovsky's slow start; it's that the division is so strong you can't afford to give away points this early in the season. After those two losses this week to the Calgary Flames and Seattle Kraken, Toronto now has the worst winning percentage in the division and is falling fast in the standings.
A win over the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday night will ease some of those contention concerns, but it won't solve the Bobrovsky problem, as Anthony Stolarz will get the start. In fact, a Stolarz win against the Canucks will only make the noise around the veteran goaltender louder, which would be bad news for anyone who wasn't a two-time Stanley Cup Champion.
The good news is that Bobrovsky's confidence hasn't wavered. Even when he stinks up the net, he still believes that he played a good game but had a couple of bad bounces go against him. It's a great mindset, and it offers a glimpse of how he went from having the worst goaltending contract in the league in the early 2020s to becoming a champion and future Hall of Famer.
Now it's time to see if he can do it twice, because the clowning of the contract John Chayka handed Bobrovsky is only just beginning. I wouldn't label it the "worst" goaltending contract in the league just yet, but people will start to say it if the losses keep piling up.
Sergei Bobrovsky's backup situation doesn't help
The issues with Bobrovsky lie in the backup situation behind him. Stolarz is reportedly only going to play one game per week, which doesn't give the goaltender much support. Jim Hiller has also been reluctant to pull Bobrovsky mid-game, and it remains unclear whether he's trying to avoid angering his starter or protect Stolarz, who is a cold-bodied, cross-crease slide away from another IR stint.
Can the Maple Leafs survive this season if Bobrovsky continues in this form? That seems unlikely, especially if Stolarz can only play once a week. It could lead to more Artur Akhytyamov starts, but you never want to roster three goaltenders or rely on three to get through the full season, especially when you paid Bobrovsky to be your No. 1.
If Bobrovsky’s run of play stretches into mid- or late-November, then it may be time to panic. However, the veteran deserves some patience, as long as Toronto can at least keep it close in the Atlantic Division.
Add us as a preferred source on Google