The Russian pair walked away from Columbus in 2019, altering the rebuild timelines for the two current Eastern Conference finalists.
, with both NHL players kicking their legs over their heads toward the night sky on the deck of a boat. It's the kind of dance one expects in a moment of offseason catharsis, like when two friends sign free agent contracts worth a combined $151.5 million. The ink was still drying on Panarin's seven-year, $81.5 million deal with theIt's now May 2024. Panarin and Bobrovsky aren't speaking.
Panarin is fifth in points since entering the league with the Blackhawks in 2015-16, the same season he won the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year. He's sixth in points-per-game average during that span. OnlyIn 2019, Bobrovsky and Panarin changed the trajectory of three franchises. They walked away from the Blue Jackets as free agents, and Columbus has made the playoffs just once since then.
The uncertainty of his future in the market had teams sending general manager Jarmo Kekalainen trade proposals, although few were designed to help Columbus in the present. But even if the Blue Jackets thought about moving Panarin, there was another complication: The NHL echo chamber was reverberating with talk that Panarin wanted to be a New York Ranger.and Panthers among them -- but the Rangers were his team of choice, and that undoubtedly impacted the offers coming in for him.
The agent switch immediately sparked speculation that the two could become a"package deal" in free agency, handing a leading scorer and a franchise goaltender to some lucky team -- luck in this case equating to geography and cap space, theoretically. They'd both have great years ahead of new contracts. Panarin had 87 points in 79 games, a new career high. Bobrovsky had a .913 save percentage and an NHL-best nine shutouts. They saved their best for last, both playing a major role in the Blue Jackets'Bobrovsky had a .931 save percentage in securing his first postseason series win. Panarin had five points in four games, outscoring every player on the Lightning in the historic upset.
But teams were trying. The Islanders had $20 million in cap space at the start of free agency. Getting both Russian players would have impacted several other bits of business -- re-signingwere also interested in a package deal. Their goalie coach, Jussi Parkkila, worked with Bobrovsky at St. Petersburg SKA in the KHL, and the two remained friends. They liked Bobrovsky, but they coveted Panarin.
"These are pieces that fit a puzzle, and we're trying to get that puzzle completed the proper way as quickly as possible," Davidson said. On July 2, Panarin took part in a now-iconic photoshoot on Seventh Ave., holding his No. 10 jersey in front of the Madison Square Garden marquee that welcomed him to New York.
"Sergei is an elite starting goaltender who has consistently proven to be one of the best in the NHL," Tallon said.The contract made Bobrovsky the second-highest-paid goalie in the league in average annual value and base salary. It also put an enormous weight on his shoulders as he started with the Panthers in 2019-20. Bobrovsky had a .900 save percentage, a 3.23 goals-against average and a 23-10-6 record for Florida that season.
"Sometimes your goaltender is separate from your team, right? Nobody talks to them because they do that weird goaltender stuff," he said."But Bob is part of the fun and might be a driver of it in some ways. Because that's not his natural state, because he's a very intense man. So he has fun in the morning skates and everyone knows that 'Bob's good.' I think he just enjoys the performance aspect of it.
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