Sergei Bobrovsky is 37, and the Maple Leafs just got a strange new endorsement of his body from their front office.
Newly hired Toronto VP of Sport Performance Andy O'Brien, who has worked with Bobrovsky before, says the goaltender is aging in reverse.
"Sergei Bobrovsky is one of my favorite people to be around," O'Brien said, via First Up 1050.
"He is in his late 30s, but his biological age is younger than his chronological age, if you ask me."
"He has a relatively young body because he takes such good care of himself."
"He does not have the same wear and tear as a lot of goalies his age. I am a big fan of Bob as a person and as an athlete."
That is a nice thing to say about a guy who signed with Toronto as a free agent on July 1st carrying a ten million dollar cap hit.
Bobrovsky's actual numbers tell a rougher story
It is also a lot of praise for a goalie who posted an .876 save percentage across 52 games last season.
Bobrovsky picked up four shutouts in that stretch. Fine numbers for a depth guy. Not exactly numbers befitting the highest-paid goalie on the roster.
Toronto finished 32-36-14 and sits 28th overall, so goaltending confidence matters here whether the front office wants to admit it or not.
Calling a goalie's body younger than his birth certificate is one thing. Turning around a team that dropped seven straight to close the year is another.
Bobrovsky is walking into a new locker room, a new blue line in front of him, and a fan base that has heard plenty of confident proclamations before.
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Biological age is a fun talking point in August. Nobody in Toronto will care what it means until Bobrovsky is standing on his head in the crease come October.
Do you buy Andy O'Brien's claim that Sergei Bobrovsky's body is younger than his age?
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