Anton Khudobin was placed on waivers by the Dallas Stars on Monday, the Dallas Morning News reported.
If the goalie is not claimed by another NHL team by Noon ET on Tuesday, he can be assigned to Texas of the American Hockey League.
Stars general manager Jim Nill told the paper that the move was made for two reasons: to free up a roster spot and because the 35-year-old needs to play games.
Khudobin is 3-3-1 with a 3.73 goals-against average and .873 save percentage in seven games (six starts) this season. He has not played since Nov. 18. He has one season remaining on the three-year, $10 million contract ($3.33 million average annual value) he signed Oct. 9, 2020.
Khudobin’s best NHL season came in 2019-20, when he helped the Stars reach the Stanley Cup Final. He was 16-8-4 in 30 regular-season games with a .930 save percentage that was first among NHL goalies to play at least 20 games, and a 2.22 GAA that was tied for third.
During the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Khudobin replaced an injured Ben Bishop and went 14-10 with a 2.69 GAA, .917 save percentage and one shutout in 25 games (24 starts). The Stars lost the best-of-7 Final in six games to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
In four seasons with the Stars, Khudobin is 47-39-17 with a 2.53 GAA, .917 save percentage and five shutouts. Selected by the Minnesota Wild in the seventh round (No. 204) of the 2004 NHL Draft, he is 114-90-33 with a 2.50 GAA, .916 save percentage and 11 shutouts in 257 games for the Wild, Boston Bruins, Carolina Hurricanes, Anaheim Ducks and Stars.
Nill said Saturday that Bishop would be unable to continue his NHL career because of a knee injury that limited him to three games in the 2020 playoffs and kept him out all last season.
Braden Holtby (5-6-0, 2.39 GAA, .923 save percentage) and Jake Oettinger (5-1-0, 1.52 GAA, .951 save percentage) have started five games each since Khudobin last played.
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