It was announced that free agent goaltender Anton Khudobin has signed a new three-year contract with the Dallas Stars worth $10 million. His new contract carries a salary-cap hit of $3.33million.
Khubodin deal is finalized with Dallas: three years and $10 M total.
year 1, $2.5 M
year 2, $3.75 M
year 3, $3.75 M— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) October 9, 2020
Anton Khudobin Re-Signs in Dallas
The career backup had his moment in the sun during the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs. With Ben Bishop unfit to play, Khudobin took over the starter’s role. Nobody expected much from Khudobin, but he guided the Dallas Stars to the Stanely Cup Final. While his numbers were not that impressive, he gave the Stars a chance to win night in and night out. Through 25 games in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Khudobin had a 2.69 goals-against average and .917 save percentage. Those numbers were slightly above his career numbers of a 2.63 goals-against average and .919 save percentage.
Khudobin is coming off a two-year contract that paid him $5 million carrying an annual average value of $2.5 million. That is a solid number for a backup goaltender. However, Khudobin will be looking for a slight raise considering what he did for the Stars during the playoffs. Not to mention he has been a starter in the league before. Originally drafted by the Minnesota Wild in the seventh round, 206th overall in the 2004 NHL Draft, Khudobin has played for five teams which include the Stars, Wild, Boston Bruins, Carolina Hurricanes, and Anaheim Ducks. For his career, Khudobin has appeared in 218 games starting 198 games with a 2.46 goals-against average and .919 save percentage.
What Lies Ahead
This is a huge get for the Stars. Keeping a guy like Khudobin around especially with the injury history to Bishop, shows they have faith in him to carry the workload as a starter. Plus this gives Dallas one of the best one-two combinations in goal in the league. The Stars know what to expect when it comes to Khudobin. He knows his role as a backup and can start when the one goalie number needs a night off. It will be interesting to see how the team goes forward with Bishop and Khudobin on the same roster.
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