Mark Alberti-Imagn ImagesFORT LAUDERDALE — The biggest pending free agent for the Florida Panthers this summer is goalie Sergei Bobrovsky whose monster seven-year, $70 million contract signed in 2019 is over. There were rumors floating around at the NHL Trade Deadline that Bill Zito was trying to move his two-time Stanley Cup champion netminder, and rumors continue to circulate that Bobrovsky and the Panthers are far apart when it comes to a new deal. Thursday, Zito said he had a “great meeting with Bob yesterday.’’So, perhaps there is a lot more smoke here than fire.

The Panthers certainly hope so.Bobrovsky did not meet the media on Thursday’s closeout day but has said that he loves his teammates, the Panthers, South Florida, everything, really. His teammates love him as well. ”Everyone,’’ captain Sasha Barkov said, “wants him to stay.’’After Bobrovsky made 28 saves in Florida’s 3-1 win at Detroit hours after the trade deadline passed, Matthew Tkachuk came out and said he would do everything in his power to help keep Bobrovsky with the Panthers.FHN: Has Bobrovsky Played His Final Game with the Panthers?He said he would “wine-and-dine” Bobrovsky as well as go and talk to general manager Bill Zito about the situation.

Tkachuk said nothing has changed in his mind when asked about Bobrovsky following Wednesday’s win over the Red Wings — this one won by backup Daniil Tarasov.“The only guy I will be recruiting, and I hope I don’t have to recruit him, and that’s Bob,” Tkachuk said. “We cannot lose him. He’s our guy.

He is going to get us back to where we want to be. [He is] the most important piece of our team, the past couple of years, with what he has done. It’s the character, the work ethic, the drive. He sets the tone on and off the ice.

I don’t care what age he is, he is the backbone of this team. If we’re going to get back there, we’re going to need him.’’Speaking on Thursday, Barkov said he would love nothing more than to have Bobrovsky back.After all, Barkov would certainly love to serenade his favorite goalie with his ‘Bob-Bee’ chant at the next championship rally on Fort Lauderdale Beach. “There is not a single person in South Florida who wants him gone from here,” Barkov said.

“He is a loved teammate, everyone loves him, loves to play in front of him, loves to battle for him, loves seeing him every day at the rink. So, it’s tough to even imagine that there could be a chance we see him go. So, of course, I am in the same boat as Chucky and in the same boat as every single guy in this organization.”Everyone wants him to stay.

He is a big piece of what we have done here on and off the ice. I’m sure everyone is doing everything possible to make him stay.’’Zito has known Bobrovsky for a long time, the two working together with the Columbus Blue Jackets.Bobrovsky left Columbus for the largest contract the Panthers had ever handed out at the time in 2019, with the two reunited a year later when Zito replaced Dale Tallon.FHN: Marchand Said Surgery is ‘Still on the Table’After the trade deadline, Zito said he would love to get a deal done with Bobrovsky. Nothing changed on that front Thursday.

“It is sincerely the hope, honestly the hope, yeah,” Zito said. “He has meant quite a bit. The work ethic is infamous, the professionalism, the leadership.

If you have occasion to meet him, he is a wonderful human being with a great sense of humor, a very funny guy, and a good, caring, considerate teammate.’’ON DECK: FLORIDA PANTHERS OFFSEASONNHL Draft Lottery: May 5; Secaucus, NJNHL Draft: June 26-27; KeyBank Center, BuffaloNHL Free Agency: Opens July 1Panthers Development Camp: Late June/Early July; IcePlex, Fort LauderdalePanthers Rookie Camp/Tournament: Late August/Early Sept.; Site TBAPanthers Training Camp: Early/Mid September; Fort Lauderdale 2026-27 NHL Season Opens: Late September; Site, Opponent TBAThis article: Florida Panthers Players Want Bobrovsky to Stay. Zito Says He Does, Too originally appeared on Florida Hockey Now.