Bobrovsky makes first practice appearance but won’t be on ice for Panthers’ season opener
He pushed his way onto the rink about 30 minutes before practice started Wednesday. Sergei Bobrovsky, the Panthers’ $70 million goaltender, joined his teammates on the ice for the first time since training camp began, finally off the NHL’s “Unift to Play” list that caused him to miss the team’s first eight practices and both intrasquad scrimmages.
Bobrovsky, however, will not be in net for Sunday’s season opener against the Chicago Blackhawks.
The 32-year-old goaltender is not on the Panthers’ 22-man roster to start the season, instead being designated as non-roster to start the season.
“Good to see him back,” Panthers coach Joel Quenneville said after practice Wednesday before the team made its final roster decisions. “He felt fine out there. Did a lot of drills. Almost took every shot at his end. He had a good day. We’ll see how he comes in tomorrow and how he presents ... We’ll make sure he’s more than ready for when he gets his first start.”
Bobrovsky, meanwhile, said he’ll be taking things “day-by-day.” He would have only have three practices worth of preparation after a week and a half off the ice if he were to play on Sunday.
“Obviously I want to play as much as I can,” Bobrovsky said. “If I go out there, I have to be ready to give the guys the best chance to win the game.”
Whenever Bobrovsky gets on the ice for live game action, the Panthers will be looking for much more than they got from him last season. The 32-year-old goaltender and two-time Vezina Trophy award winner went 23-19-6 in 50 games (49 starts) last season, the first of his 7-year contract with Florida. His .900 save percentage ranked 46th among 54 goalies who played in at least 25 games. His 3.23 goals against average ranked 51st.
“The expectations are high,” Quenneville said. “I thought he adapted well to moving forward. Think he did a good job of getting himself in the right place mentally, physically. A little setback here, but I think he’s more than excited to get the season going.”
But simply having Bobrovsky on the ice — and taking part in the full 90 minute session with full energy — was a positive first step.
“It’s important to feel the net, to feel the ice, to feel the gear on your body, to see the puck and see the traffic,” Bobrovsky said. “It was a great practice. We had all the different aspects... All different types of activity in front of me.”
Finalizing the roster
The Panthers’ full roster, announced Wednesday afternoon is below
▪ Goaltenders (2): Chris Dreidger, Sam Montembeault
▪ Forwards (13): Noel Acciari, Aleksander Barkov, Brett Connolly, Anthony Duclair, Vinnie Hinostroza, Patric Hornqvist, Jonathan Huberdeau, Ryan Lomberg, Eetu Luostarinen, Owen Tippett, Frank Vatrano, Carter Verhaeghe, Alex Wennberg.
▪ Defensemen (7): Aaron Ekblad, Gustav Forsling, Radko Gudas, Riley Stillman, Anton Stralman, MacKenzie Weegar, Keith Yankle
Defenseman Noah Juulsen, who the Panthers claimed off waivers on Monday, is expected to take the 23rd spot. Juulsen has not arrived in South Florida and is also on the non-roster list.
The Panthers have four players officially on their taxi squad as well: goaltender Philippe Desrosiers, defenseman Brady Keeper, and forwards Mason Marchment and Aleksi Heponiemi. Defenseman Kevin Connauton will join that group as well if he clears waivers.
Defenseman Markus Nutivaara and center Juho Lammikko, who have been deemed “unfit to play” since training camp opened, will also start the season on IR.
