Drew Livingstone argued this week that Bill Zito may have made the right call when the Panthers let Sergei Bobrovsky walk, and the early numbers in Toronto give the debate some life.
Florida moved on from its longtime goalie, reportedly because the team "weren't sure he still had it." That is the line Livingstone leaned on, and it has followed the Panthers into the new season.
Livingstone wrote that the Panthers let Bobrovsky go because they were unsure he still had it, and added that so far it looks like Zito made the right move.
The Panthers, for their part, are 8-4-2 and have won three straight, the latest a 5-2 win over the Jets on Friday. That is good for 10th in the NHL and a +5 goal differential.
Bobrovsky now plays for the Maple Leafs, and he is 38. Through 10 games this season he has the Leafs sitting at 8-6-2, 12th in the league, after a 4-2 win in Vancouver on Saturday night.
Here is the catch. The sheet gives us no save percentage and no goals against for him, so the post's verdict can't be settled on goalie numbers alone. The Leafs have allowed 53 goals in 16 games, which does not scream stability in front of him.
Why the Panthers goalie decision still matters
Florida's own record is solid, but the Panthers have allowed 39 goals in 14 games. That is a team that is winning, not one that has fully locked down its crease.
And that is the real argument for Zito. He bet on the future of the position rather than the name, and a team that sits in the top third of the league with a positive goal differential is not paying a visible price for it.
Bobrovsky's deal runs through 2028-29, and that is the part of the story that makes the Panthers' choice look sharper to me. Letting a 38-year-old walk is easy to defend. Paying him until he is past 40 is the kind of commitment Zito avoided.
Still, ten games is a small sample, and Toronto's record is only two wins above .500 by the standings. Neither side has proven anything yet.
The Panthers host the Red Wings tonight, with a chance to stretch the winning streak to four. The Maple Leafs follow on Tuesday against Utah, and Bobrovsky's next outing will feed this debate again.
Did Bill Zito make the right call letting Sergei Bobrovsky walk?
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