Photo credit: Mark Alberti-Imagn Images
Sergei Bobrovsky is a free agent, and the goaltending market just got a jolt nobody was expecting heading into what looked like a quiet offseason.
Every conversation about his next stop defaults to Florida, Carolina, or Edmonton. The New Jersey Devils keep getting mentioned and then passed over, and that is a mistake.
Bobrovsky finished 2025-26 with 52 games played, 27 wins, a 3.07 goals-against average and an .877 save percentage - numbers that look underwhelming but came in a Panthers season defined by injury chaos.
The 37-year-old still carries playoff credibility that few UFAs can match.
The Panthers want him back - Matthew Tkachuk said so publicly, and Bill Zito echoed it.
Florida knows the room fit and the comfort factor, and on paper a reunion makes sense.
The signal everyone missed in New Jersey
Here is what almost nobody connected: the Devils quietly fired goaltending coach Dave Rogalski right after the season ended, a move that signals a crease overhaul is coming.
New Jersey also has $10.9 million in projected cap space, Jacob Markstrom on a tradeable contract, and a roster Sheldon Keefe has spent two seasons trying to stabilize.
If the Devils move Markstrom, they open the door for Bobrovsky or even Connor Hellebuyck, though Bobrovsky is the more realistic fit on a short-term deal.
Two years at around $8 to $10 million annually makes sense for both sides.
Why New Jersey changes the entire market
New Jersey is a team on the edge of contention with legitimate offensive pieces and a coach who rebuilt his credibility after Toronto.
Goaltending has been the consistent gap, and adding Bobrovsky closes it faster than any other move available to them this summer.
Florida still leads the race on comfort and familiarity, and Panthers leadership has made no effort to hide how much they want him back.
But the Devils have the cap room, the organizational signal, and the urgency - a combination that rarely gets enough credit in these conversations.
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