It may take some time to get used to Sergei Bobrovsky wearing No. 72 for the Toronto Maple Leafs, and this dynamic may become more pronounced against divisional rivals. Bobrovsky joined the Maple Leafs on a three-year contract worth $7 million per season, after the Panthers elected to bring in Jacob Markstrom and Akira Schmid as their goaltending tandem for the 2026-27 campaign. The 38-year-old boasts a future Hall of Fame resume with two Vezina Trophies, and two Stanley Cup victories.

Bobrovsky is one of the best playoff performers of his generation, and his return against the Florida Panthers may become appointment viewing. Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk raved about Bobrovsky’s impact on the back-to-back winning Cup teams in 2024 and 2025, on the most recent episode of his podcast, Wingmen with Matthew and Brady Tkachuk. 

“The backbone,’’ Tkachuk said of Bobrovsky. “Obviously, all of our lives have changed forever since the Cups. Our lives would have been the exact same, we wouldn’t have won without him. He was the guy, the guy you relied on, the guy that if you were playing bad, you knew he would be great.He kept us in so many games that we didn’t deserve to be in, and he won us a lot of games that we didn’t deserve to win. Just an outstanding teammate. I’m going to miss him a ton.”

If you’re a reader of this site, you don’t need a crash course on Bobrovsky’s playoff resume, as he caught fire during the 2023 playoffs, while the Panthers eliminated the Maple Leafs in five games during the second round of the playoffs. He was in excellent form again during a seven-game victory over the Maple Leafs in the second round of the 2025 playoffs, en route to Florida’s second consecutive Stanley Cup victory. Toronto is banking on Bobrovsky’s pedigree, durability and proclivity to elevate his game during the postseason. Bobrovsky will take over as the No. 1 goaltender and will be reunited with Anthony Stolarz, who was his backup on the 2024 Cup-winning team.

Toronto is expected to return the playoffs, after an aggressive overhaul from general manager John Chayka. Bobrovsky, along with a sign-and-trade for defenceman Darren Raddysh, are among the headlining moves for the revamped Maple Leafs, while Gavin McKenna is expected to galvanize the attack, after being selected first overall in the 2026 NHL Draft. Bobrovsky was the backbone of the Panthers, and his understated leadership will be counted upon immediately this fall with the Maple Leafs.

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