Sergei Bobrovsky breaks his silence on his future with the Toronto Maple Leafs

Sergei Bobrovsky faced Toronto's cameras Monday, and the Maple Leafs' new starter wasted no time setting the tone.

He signed with Toronto this offseason carrying a cap hit of $10,000,000, the second richest number among any goaltender in the league.

Only Igor Shesterkin sits above him. That deal ranks 17th among every cap hit in the NHL this season, just ahead of Florida's Aleksander Barkov.

Standing in front of a red Rogers backdrop, surrounded by a wall of microphones, Bobrovsky said exactly what the moment meant to him.

"This is one of the most iconic teams, and I'm excited about that. In a big franchise, there are responsibilities, commitment and excitement. I'm looking forward to enjoying it all."

That's Bobrovsky, speaking to Sportsnet on joining the Maple Leafs. It sounded like a goalie who knows what he just signed up for.

Because Toronto isn't handing him a soft landing spot. The Maple Leafs are trying to fix a season that fell apart completely.

Jim Hiller inherits a crowded crease in Toronto

The Maple Leafs finished 32-36-14 a season ago, good for 78 points, 28th overall in the league, and a minus-46 goal differential.

They closed that year on a seven-game losing streak. A .876 save percentage isn't going to erase a stretch like that.

And that's Bobrovsky's own number. He posted it across 52 appearances last season, with 20 wins and four shutouts attached.

Behind him sits Anthony Stolarz, who actually turned in a sharper .893 save percentage over 26 appearances, on a cap hit of just $2,500,000.

That leaves new head coach Jim Hiller, hired back on June 17, with a real decision once games start counting for real.

Does he lean on the $10 million name, or does he let the save percentage make the call? Bad question to have this early.

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Bobrovsky sounds ready for the pressure of a big market. Whether his game still matches the paycheck is the part nobody in that scrum wanted to ask.

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