Blue Jackets' Sergei Bobrovsky: Looking to keep groin issues in past

Bobrovsky has been working with a strength and conditioning coach to avoid recurring groin issues that originally surfaced last season, Aaron Portzine of The Columbus Dispatch reports.

Analysis:

Chronic groin ailments limited Bobrovsky to 37 games played in 2015-16 and the Blue Jackets need him to be healthy and shoulder a heavier workload as the No. 1 backstop in Columbus. Last season, the Russian netminder posted his worst GAA (2.75) and save percentage (.908) since 2011-12, when he was a backup in Philadelphia. Remember, here's a guy who manufactured a 2.00 GAA, .932 save mark, and four shutouts in his first season with the Jackets four years ago. If Bobrovsky can fully put the groin issues behind him then he could be looking at a bounce-back campaign in 2016-17.