A few days ago, someone asked Sergei Bobrovsky about spending the next five years with the Florida Panthers, and he said he was focusing on the present. “I try to stay in the moment, you know. And I just… at the moment.” When asked to elaborate on head coach Paul Maurice’s comment about Bobrovsky’s future with the Panthers, Bobrovsky said, “I’m excited about the next season, about the next challenge. We have, again, a great group of guys. I’m excited to be their goalie, to help them, to go through the challenges and hurdles with them,” just ahead of the Panthers’ celebration parade. But today, he said something we’ve all been waiting to hear.

During the press conference on June 24, one of the reporters asked Sergei Bobrovsky about the possibility of a three-peat. What he said resonated deeply with die-hard Panthers fans. Sergei replied, “Yeah, for sure. We have a great group of guys. We have good players, but next season starts from zero for everybody.” He also added, “You know, there is no advantage, there is nothing. We’re going to have—again—we’re going to have our ups and downs. There’s going to be lows, like, you know… If you lose, it’s going to be sad. If you win, it’s going to be happiness.” Bobrovsky shared his very pragmatic wisdom while looking forward to a potential three-peat. For any athlete, not dwelling on past failures or victories is crucial.

Sergei continued, “Again, nobody, as soon as training camps open, nobody cares about what happened last year. Everybody’s going to be excited for the goal, for the season in their hands, and nobody’s going to think about what happened last year.” And no surprise, other team members also agree with him. Matthew Tkachuk and other franchise members have also reacted to the question of whether the Panthers would win next year or not. 

To answer the three-peat question, Matthew Tkachuk said, “I don’t know. I think I want to get used to this, this whole winning thing. So, I guess it starts with coming out at the start of the year again. And then, hopefully, we can win the Olympics and win another Cup.” The Panthers GM, Bill Zito, had a similar response: “I think, yes, we can.” The next season holds all the answers, nothing sooner than that. 

But as a new season looms around the corner, the real excitement will be to see whether the star players return to the roster or not. As we know, Sam Bennett, Brad Marchand, and Aaron Ekblad are all on the verge of entering unrestricted free agency. The Panthers’ front office still needs to decide whether it can retain its core group of star players.

Is Sergei Bobrovsky going to miss Marchand, Bennett, and Ekblad next year? 

On March 7, Florida acquired Brad Marchand in a trade. And within just two months, he geared up and played a pivotal role in helping the team win the Stanley Cup. The Floridians can’t forget his two strong and crucial goals in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final series, which gave the Panthers some early momentum which had been time tested and proven to be the main reason for the Oilers’ ultimate downfall. He finished the postseason with an impressive 23 points and remains hopeful for the next season, even as his current contract with Panthers’ has just expired.

And in a drunken stupor, he has publicly requested Bill Zito and the front office, saying, “Give me a contract,” when asked about a message to the franchise after the victory. Actually, Bleacher Report has revealed insider news about Brad’s future contract. According to Bleacher Report, 37-year-old Marchand would get a 4-year, $32 million contract. What remains to be seen is if the Panthers’ front office would extend this big of a deal. And not just him, there are two other stars are there waiting for a nod from the Florida Panthers front office. 

Those two guys, as already mentioned, are Sam Bennett and Aaron Ekblad. Although Bennett is on the verge of hitting free agency, during the Stanley Cup celebrations, he confidently declared, “I ain’t f——- leaving.” The Conn Smythe Trophy winner seems in no mood to change cities. Meanwhile, according to rumors, 4 teams could be interested in him. It includes the Toronto Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins, Vegas Golden Knights, and Florida Panthers.

And lastly, Aaron Ekblad’s contract negotiations are still ongoing. Five days after the Stanley Cup win, he told NHL.com, “Conversations have been had, obviously nothing material yet.’ Ekblad also added, “But they’ll be working on it. Things seem to come down to the last minute here.” He has been the heart and soul of the Panthers since being drafted in the 2014 NHL Draft. However, the reality is that there has been no significant progress in his contract talks so far, according to insiders. We’ll have to wait and see if the Panthers can manage to retain him as well.