Columbus Blue Jackets land Sergei Bobrovsky from Philadelphia Flyers -NHL offseason Update
At the end of another awfully played 2011-2012 National Hockey League (NHL) regular season, the Columbus Blue Jackets knew that they would have to take some revolutionary steps in order to ensure some improvement next season.
General Manager of the Blue Jackets, Scott Howson, termed their being a need for some depth in the goaltending position and it looks like he managed to score big by acquiring Sergei Bobrovsky from the Philadelphia Flyers on Friday, June 22, 2012.
In order to grab the goalie, Columbus gave up three draft picks, No.45 and 117 for this year’s entry draft and an undisclosed four-round pick for 2013. Philadelphia Flyers can also be regarded to have given up some luggage as Bobrovsky had been known to
complain about the lack of ice time he received this past season and during the playoffs with Ilya Bryzgalov on the squad.
Now, it looks like Bobrovsky will be able to secure some hefty time on the ice and be the man to lead the club next season. With Rick Nash also gearing up for a possible trade sometime soon, Columbus Blue Jackets will definitely be relying heavily on Bobrovsky
to become the next face of the organisation.
"We need a different look in goal," Howson said after the season ended. "We need better play from that position. I told Steve in our exit interviews that we're going to have a different look at that position next year, but that right now, nobody can predict
what form that's going to take."
With a number of goalies like Anders Lindback and Josh Harding already taken off the market, Scott Howson knew that he had to act fast to acquire a valuable goaltender. Some believe that Columbus managed to influence Philadelphia into giving up Bobrovsky
for a potential pick at Rick Nash later on, but it still remains to be confirmed.
"I wanted to come out of here with a goalie. That was really important to me, and the market is shrinking fast. (Josh) Harding signed (in Minnesota), (Anders) Lindback got traded (to Tampa Bay) ... the market became pretty scarce. That's a factor in the
price we paid," Howson added.
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