CBJ of the Day: Sergei Bobrovsky

By William Espy

 

The work of the Columbus Police Department extends beyond the streets and on to the ice. Well not really, but Sergei Bobrovsky is the number one cop on the force and always will be. In the 2006 NHL entry draft names such as Erik Johnson and Jonathan Toews would quickly find a new home and on day two of the draft many hopefuls went home disappointed as their name would never be called. One of these frustrated competitors was a Novokuznetsk, Russia native by the name of Sergei Bobrovsky.

The Philadelphia Flyers had considered drafting the goaltender, however they decided to pass because of the many issues regarding Russian players in the NHL. Eventually they would sign him in 2010 and he would go on to backup Michael Leighton (a bit of a familiar name to Jackets fans) replacing him as the starter after he went down with injury. Bobrovsky’s playoff performance would disappoint the Flyers management resulting in the signing of Ilya Bryzgalov to be their new starting goalie.

On June 22, 2012 Bobrovsky would finally get the opportunity he needed. He would begin the lockout shortened season splitting time with Steve Mason, but he quickly took the full time starting job. Mason would be traded in April 2013 for Michael Leighton (remember him?) and a 3^rd round pick in the 2015 draft. The roles would be reversed in Columbus and Leighton would back up Bobrovsky. Leighton never played a game in the union blue as Bobrovsky would play 38 games that season. He posted .932 save percentage, a goals against average of 2.00 while winning 21 games. He would go on to win the Vezina trophy and become the first player to do so in CBJ history.

In the early 2013 off-season, the world nearly stopped Columbus fans. Bobrovsky wanted a large sum of money which a Vezina winner did deserve, however management was unsure if he could play on that level consistently. Bobrovsky wanted to stay in the NHL, however he used the possibility of signing in the KHL as a leverage point eventually agreeing on a two year deal on July 1. That deal was set to expire this offseason, however in early January Bobrovsky agreed to a four year extension.

STATUS: UNTOUCHABLE

This is the only status possible for the face of Columbus hockey. Bobrovsky has continued to bail out the team on a constant basis, especially this past season where defense seemed abysmal at times. There is a zero percent chance that Bobrovsky will play anywhere other than Columbus in the foreseeable future.