Sergei Bobrovsky and how quickly a career narrative can change

Sergei Bobrovsky is leading one of the more stunning playoff runs in recent Stanley Cup Playoff history, and potentially changing the entire discussion around his career.

The Florida Panthers are one win away from completing an improbable run to the Stanley Cup Final, and there is no one player more responsible for it than starting goalie Sergei Bobrovsky.

That is not meant to take anything away from the rest of the Panthers’ roster. They have an excellent team with a lot of important pieces falling into place at the right time. They won the Presidents’ Trophy a year ago with the league’s best record, and when they started to get healthy and played with some desperation in the second half they started to resemble that team a little more.

They definitely needed some luck to get in the playoffs (like the Pittsburgh Penguins self destructing down the stretch), but they are here and making a name for themselves. After knocking off a record-setting Boston Bruins team, and then beating a heavily favored Toronto team in five games, they have won the first three games of the Eastern Conference Final against another top-seed in Carolina.

But do not overthink this run: This is about the goalie. When you consider the narrative around that goalie not only during his tenure in Florida, where he has been one of the league’s highest-paid players, but also for some of his career postseason performances that is a stunning development.

Especially when he did not even open this postseason as the team’s starting goalie. Alex Lyon had that honor before the team shifted back to Bobrovsky early in their First Round series against the Bruins.

So how important has Bobrovsky been to the Panthers’ run?

Let’s dig into it, and what it could mean for Bobrovsky’s legacy in the NHL.