The Athletic lists Sharks as best landing spot for Bob - By Jesse Granger
Sergei Bobrovsky
Best landing spot: San Jose Sharks
The best case for both Bobrovsky and the Panthers is to find a way to keep the likely future Hall of Famer in South Beach for another run at a third Cup championship. However, if the 37-year-old hits the open market, the Sharks are the perfect fit.
At this stage of his career, Bobrovsky shouldn’t be relied upon as a true workhorse starter. His starts have declined in each of the last three seasons, down to 51 this past year, and even that might be a bit higher than optimal. In 2022-23, Bobrovsky made only 49 starts — his fewest in a full season in a decade — and it’s no coincidence that was the strongest postseason run of his career.
After a disappointing 2025-26 season, and at his age, there’s plenty of reason for concern regarding Bobrovsky’s next deal, especially for a team pressed as tightly to the salary cap as Florida. To pay him what he probably deserves would likely mean having to give him the lion’s share of the starts, which isn’t optimizing Bobrovsky’s talent at this point.
Insert the Sharks, who have $50 million in cap space, and a talented young goalie with a meager $2 million cap hit. Yaroslav Askarov’s first full NHL season was a bit of a roller coaster, but he showed flashes of star potential. A tandem would allow Bobrovsky to stay fresh for what a blossoming San Jose team hopes to be its first playoff run in seven years, and the Sharks could use their exorbitant cap space to overpay the veteran in an attempt to keep the deal shorter.
Bobrovsky could help a talented young team take the next step toward becoming a real playoff threat. Even if he didn’t, he could be worth the price just for the impact he would have on Askarov alone. The 24-year-old is arguably the most physically gifted goalie in the sport, but still has a lot to learn. Watching a Russian legend such as Bobrovsky and how he works and prepares on a daily basis could do wonders for Askarov’s development and understanding of what it takes to be the best.