See more Toronto Sun on Google — save as a Preferred Source Sergei Bobrovsky will lead by example with the Maple Leafs. An excellent example, potentially.
That’s the opinion of someone who should be considered an expert on the subject. That would be Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov, a teammate of Bobrovsky with the two-time Stanley Cup champions for seven years in south Florida.
“There’s no one like him,” Barkov told reporters at the NHL player media tour in Las Vegas. “The way he was here for seven seasons, it was just incredible.
“We’re going to miss him a lot as a person and as a goalie. He was that type of guy you look up to every day.” Bobrovsky’s reputation for having a regimented work ethic is well-known and there’s another way in which Barkov figured the 37-year-old netminder will impact the Leafs room.
How do his words carry weight? “When he speaks, everyone listens,” Barkov said.
“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.’” We’ll find out once the games start whether the Leafs were wise in signing Bobrovsky to a three-year contract with an average annual value of $7 million US.
If nothing else, those who have had some doubts regarding Bobrovsky, who had a difficult 2025-26 season, should get some encouragement from what Barkov had to say about his former teammate. John Chayka, Gavin McKenna, Auston Matthews and more: 27 Maple Leafs thoughts on season's cusp Former Maple Leafs prospect Fraser Minten strikes it rich with new Bruins contract Ex-Leafs goalie Ilya Samsonov, meanwhile, has returned to North America.
After one season with Sochi HC of the KHL, Samsonov has signed a one-year, two-way contract with the San Jose Sharks. The 29-year-old Samsonov spent the 2024-25 season with the Vegas Golden Knights after tending goal for the Leafs from 2022-24.
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