Sergei Bobrovsky has been in a stalemate with the Florida Panthers regarding his contract situation after his previous deal ran out at the end of last season. The 37-year-old Russian goaltender was on a seven-year, $70 million contract signed in July 2019.

NHL Rumour Report on X shared one of the recent takes about it from NHL analyst Elliotte Friedman when he spoke on 32 Thoughts: The Podcast from Sportsnet.

“Elliotte Friedman: Re Sergei Bobrovsky/Panthers: He looked at the deals that Aaron Ekblad...and Brad Marchand got...and he said well if they get them I should be able to get them too - 32 Thoughts (6/22),” read their X post.

Bobrovsky is apparently comparing his contract situation at the Panthers with that of his two teammates, defenseman Aaron Ekblad and forward Brad Marchand. It was in June 2025 when the franchise signed those two players to long-term contracts to ensure they didn’t go into unrestricted free agency (UFA).

Last year, Ekblad, 30, agreed to an eight-year, $48.80 million contract while Marchand, 38, settled for a six-year, $31.50 million contract to keep playing in Florida.

Notably, in a report published in Sportsnet recently, it was mentioned that Bobrovsky wanted to sign a $42 million contract for either six or seven years with the Panthers. It could be considered as his attempt to get a deal quite similar to Ekblad and Marchand.

Since nothing has come out in this regard officially from the Panthers, they have quite possibly decided against caving into Bobrovsky’s demands. It is despite the fact that he is slated to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1 of this year.

Sergei Bobrovsky’s performances in the 2025-26 season with Florida Panthers

Sergei Bobrovsky wasn’t really at his best in the 2025-26 season with the Florida Panthers after playing 52 regular-season games. He had a 27-23-1 record, including a .877 save percentage (SV), 3.07 goals-against average (GAA), and four shutouts.

Those save percentage and goals-against average stats were the worst for Bobrovsky in his 16 seasons in the NHL. It also meant that the Panthers were unable to make it to the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2026 after winning the title back-to-back in 2024 and 2025.

As per NHL.com, in spite of that, Bobrovsky has incredible overall numbers in the NHL, registering a 456-266-58 record in 806 regular season games with .912 SV, 2.61 GAA, and 53 shutouts.

In his 117 appearances in the playoffs in 12 different seasons, he had a 61-50-0 record with .907 SV, 2.71 GAA, and six shutouts.

Moreover, after making his NHL debut in 2010 with the Philadelphia Flyers, Bobrovsky went on to win the coveted Vezina Trophy twice in his career. He was honored with the best goaltender award in 2013 and 2017 while playing for the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Is Sergei Bobrovsky going to agree on a new contract with the Florida Panthers or become a UFA instead? Share with us your prediction in the comments.

Read more at NHL Fan Central!

Written by

Arjun Sharma

Edited by

Kaamna Dwivedi