The Columbus Blue Jackets were one of the best stories in the NHL last season, thanks in part to their goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky.
After platooning with a few other goalies in his years a a Philadelphia Flyer, Bobrovsky joined the Blue Jackets for 2013 and shocked the world by taking home the Vezina Trophy as best goaltender.
Bobrovsky likely wasn’t even drafted in most fantasy leagues since Steve Mason was originally believed to be Columbus’s starter in goal, but those who picked him up cashed in big time.
Bobrovsky had a shockingly good season, but can you bank on him to repeat that success this year? Has he proven himself to be an elite goaltender? Is he a wise pickup for your fantasy team?
One of the things that we have to take into account is sample size. Bobrovsky’s numbers last year were remarkable, but it was a shortened 48-game season rather than an 82-game campaign.
If he had to play a full season, would his stats have dropped off down the stretch? There’s no way of telling now, but it’s a definite possibility.
This year, Bobrovsky will be in net for the majority of Columbus’s 82 games, and he will be going up against the likes of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Claude Giroux, John Tavares, Eric Staal, Alexander Ovechkin, and many other elite scorers in the Metropolitan Division.
The Blue Jackets’ defense is actually fairly solid, headlined by Jack Johnson and James Wisniewski. The group of the defense isn’t a pushover, and the depth on the blue line could help Bobrovsky and the rest of the team.
If the Jackets can get some contributions from the defense, Bobrovsky could be in pretty good shape. The problem, however, is that he has not yet proven himself as an elite NHL goaltender.
He was average in Philadelphia, but had a better year than any other goaltender in 2013 with Columbus. In order for him to solidify his status among the league’s best, he needs to have another solid year in 2013-14.
While it is extremely unlikely that he will repeat the same numbers he did in 2013 (nobody should have expectations that high), it is definitely plausible that he could put up numbers good enough to be a good choice between the pipes for your fantasy team.
Again, he would still be a risky pick since we have not seen enough of him to judge his true ability, but Sergei Bobrovsky could wind up paying huge dividends for your fantasy team if he is indeed for real.