(Frisco) The Stars put Anton Khudobin on waivers on Monday, which could see the starting Dallas squad goaltender in the 2020 Stanley Cup Final play in the American League.
NHL teams will have until Tuesday afternoon to claim Khudobin, who is in the second season of a three-year contract. He pocketed a salary of 3.3 million US dollars.
Khudobin was relegated to the role of third goaltender behind 22-year-old Jake Oettinger and veteran Braden Holtby, who hit it off with the Stars during the offseason.
If Khudobin isn’t claimed, the Dallas team can demote him to the Texas Stars while still getting some room under the salary cap.
The 35-year-old Khudobin was unable to stay in the rotation in goal, although Ben Bishop did not return to the game with a knee injury. Stars general manager Jim Nill mentioned Bishop’s career was over due to his knee problems.
In the first month of the season, Khudobin shared the net with Holtby, but had a 3.73 goals against average and .873 save percentage in seven games, including six starts.
The Stars recalled Oettinger in November and he was the team’s top goaltender with a 1.52 goals-against average and .951 save percentage.
Khudobin helped the Stars reach the Stanley Cup Final in the Protected Environment in Canada during the cropped 2019-20 season.
While Bishop was limited to three games during the 2020 playoffs, Khudobin was 14-10 with a 2.69 goals-against average and .917 save percentage. The Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Stars in six games to lift the Stanley Cup.
Khudobin claims a 236-114-90 record in 13 seasons in the NHL, with five teams. This is his fourth campaign with the Stars.