At the trade deadline, I said that the Carolina Hurricanes should consider a move to bolster their goaltending before the playoffs. Obviously, that didn't happen, though it has worked out for them pretty well during this run. They're two wins away from the Stanley Cup, with Frederik Andersen getting them to the dance, and Brandon Bussi stepping up when called upon.
While it has worked out well for them thus far, that doesn't mean they didn't try to do something before the 3 pm deadline. Insider Pierre LeBrun reported on Wednesday that the Hurricanes were one of the teams in talks to acquire Sergei Bobrovsky from the Florida Panthers, and that it might've gotten done if not for the asking price.
Like his team, Bobrovsky struggled through the season. After two straight Stanley Cup wins, Bobrovsky experienced the worst regular season of his career, posting a .877 save percentage and a 3.07 GAA in 52 games. The Panthers missed the postseason, though the laundry list of injuries they suffered throughout the season played a significant part in that.
The 37-year-old was in the final season of his long deal with the Panthers, so he picked an inopportune time to not have a good year. Would a change of scenery have done him some good in March? We may never know. The Canes had relied on Andersen and Bussi to that point, and Kochetkov was still out, though he's been healthy since the end of the regular season.
To acquire Bobrovsky's services through the end of the season, the Panthers were asking for a first-round pick. The Canes weren't willing to meet that price. As much respect as I have for Bobrovsky, and for all of the headache he has caused the Canes from the other side, there's no way I could justify spending a first-round pick on a goalie playing poorly at his cap hit ($10 million) as a rental.
LeBrun also mentioned that the Canes inquired about Jordan Binnington, but those talks didn't go anywhere. It's probably for the best. A potential position of weakness turned into a strength during the first half of the postseason. Andersen was outstanding against Ottawa and Philadelphia. While his numbers have dipped in the last two rounds, he has done enough to help the team advance.
For as negatively as I've talked about his season, there's no question that Bobrovsky turns it on during the playoffs. The two-time Vezina winner had been the Stanley Cup Final three seasons in a row, winning 44 of his 65 decisions since 2023. He would've made the Canes deeper, but the price was too high to justify the move.
The sentiment at the time was that Bobrovsky would re-sign in Florida if he wasn't traded. I'm unsure if that's the case now, but it certainly feels like that's what will happen, assuming he doesn't make it to free agency on July 1st. I think the Canes made the right decision to stand pat, even if it was tougher to defend their choice at the time. The risk wasn't worth it.
