- Matthew Tkachuk gave Sergei Bobrovsky an emotional sendoff on his Wingmen podcast
- He called the goalie “the backbone” of Florida’s back-to-back Cup teams
- Read below for the full quote and video after Bobrovsky’s move to Toronto
Matthew Tkachuk isn’t ready to let go of Sergei Bobrovsky.
On the latest episode of his Wingmen podcast, the Panthers forward gave his old goaltender a heartfelt sendoff after Bobrovsky bolted Florida for Toronto in free agency. Tkachuk was asked what the veteran meant to the back-to-back championship teams, and he didn’t hold back.
“Bobby, the backbone,” Tkachuk said. “He was the guy. The guy that you relied on, the guy that didn’t matter how good, or if you’re playing bad, you knew he was going to be great. He just kept us in so many games that we didn’t deserve to be in, and he won us a lot of games that we did not deserve to win.”
Watch Tkachuk break it all down on the pod:
Tkachuk called Bobrovsky “an outstanding, outstanding teammate” who works his tail off in the gym and on the ice. Then he summed it up for Leafs fans.
“I’m going to miss him a ton, just an unbelievable guy. Toronto got a good one. Just one of my favorite teammates ever.”
The two spent four seasons together in South Florida. They reached the Stanley Cup Final three times and lifted the Cup in back-to-back years in 2024 and 2025. Both earned All-Star nods along the way.
Bobrovsky signed a three-year, $21 million deal with the Maple Leafs on July 1, and Toronto wasted no time rolling out the welcome mat:
The 37-year-old shared his own take on the move, calling Toronto “the capital of hockey” after putting pen to paper.
Bobrovsky went 27-23-1 with a .877 save percentage in 52 games last season, a step back from his playoff heroics. Toronto is betting he has another deep run left in him. Tkachuk is convinced the Leafs just landed a difference-maker.
