The Panthers are going to sell (and Sergei Bobrovsky could be traded)

Charles-Alexis Brisebois
The Panthers are going to sell (and Sergei Bobrovsky could be traded)
Credit: Elsa/Getty Images

Since returning from the Olympic break, the Panthers have lost three of their last four games. And the one they did win was against Toronto.

That doesn't count, the naysayers will say.

Even though the Panthers have one game left before the deadline, GM Bill Zito has reportedly decided that the 10-point gap between his club and the playoffs is too big to overcome. According to Pierre LeBrun, Florida will be selling at the deadline.

We can also expect to see Matthew Tkachuk and Brad Marchand take a break to get back in shape in six months.

The club's rental players are at risk of leaving. A.J. Greer and Sergei Bobrovsky are the two names that come up most often at the moment.

Of course, it's not a given that Bob will leave. I'm not ruling out the possibility of a contract extension being announced to everyone's surprise. But I'm not saying that's likely.

But Bill Zito is “listening” to what his counterparts have to offer him in this matter. He's working with the knowledge that the Russian can say no to 16 teams, but still. I wonder if he can say no to the Oilers…

Obviously, this will be the talk of Montreal. Whenever a goalie becomes available, that's the effect it has, considering that Samuel Montembeault isn't having a good season.

Jakub Dobes wins more often. But yesterday, he gave up six goals, which is currently lowering some fans' confidence in the city's goalie tandem.

If you want my opinion, I find it hard to believe that Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton would go after a rental goalie.

But linking the Habs to a goaltender helps artificially inflate the market, so I wouldn't be surprised to see rumors about Bob in Quebec soon.

That said, I wouldn't be totally surprised to see Jordan Binnington become a real target for Kent Hughes. The goalie is a year and a half away from unrestricted free agency, which would be ideal for letting Jacob Fowler marinate in the AHL. To be continued.


In brief

– Read on.

— The former goalie has a point.

— Contract in Washington.

— Great atmosphere yesterday in San Jose.

— Indeed.

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