Panthers’ Barkov on Bobrovsky: ‘When he speaks, everyone listens’
When the Toronto Maple Leafs signed goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky to a three-year, $21 million contract this offseason, the reviews were mixed. Sure, the Leafs are getting a two-time Stanley Cup champion and two-time Vezina Trophy winner, but committing three years to a 37-year-old goalie coming off a down season comes with its fair share of risk.
If Leafs fans are still looking to feel better about the deal, perhaps a testimonial from one of Bobrovsky’s former teammates would do the trick. Speaking at the NHL Player Media Tour in Las Vegas on Tuesday, Florida Panthers center Aleksander Barkov praised Bobrovsky’s leadership and work ethic.
“When he speaks, everyone listens,” Barkov said. “At the gym, he’s always working hard. On the ice working really hard. He’s one of those guys you look at when you’re a young guy, and you’re like ‘He’s 35 or 36 and he works three times more than I do. Maybe I should do something about it’.”
Barkov and Bobrovsky were teammates in Florida for the last seven years, winning two Stanley Cups together. Perhaps nobody would have a better sense of what Bobrovsky brings to a team than Barkov, who continued to speak highly of the Leafs’ new netminder.
“There’s no one like him,” Barkov explained. “The way he was here for seven seasons, it was just incredible. We’re going to miss him a lot as a person, as a goalie and a person. He was a great person, really that type of guy you look up to every single day with what he does. Me personally, I learned so much from him just watching him, just looking at him, just seeing what he does day to day and how he tries to get better. Even at his age, I think he’s what, 37, 38, he feels like and looks like he’s in his early 30s, maybe even late 20s. That’s what you want to be as a perfect human being and athlete. For sure, we’re going to miss him a lot.”
Toronto is certainly hoping Barkov is right about Bobrovsky defying his age, so that he can recapture his Vezina-winning form from a couple years ago.
