Khudobin signs three-year, $10 million contract to stay with Stars

Anton Khudobin signed a three-year, $10 million contract to remain with the Dallas Stars on Friday. It has an average annual value of $3.33 million.

"Yes, I wanted to stay here," Khudobin said. "I liked everything here. When I got here (before the 2018-19 season), everything was good, I felt [at] home. Guys welcomed me really well. All the management, all the coaches [were] good. So I'm happy to be here and sign for another three [seasons].

"I wanted to go [back] to Dallas. I wanted to stay here, but we didn't finalize our contract until the last moment. There [were] talks, but I'm not the agent. I didn't receive those calls. [Khudobin's agent] said maybe this, or maybe there. I'm like 'talk to Dallas, talk to Dallas. Let's talk again.' He called me and said 'this is the offer.' I said 'done deal.'"

The 34-year-old goalie, who was an unrestricted free agent, was 16-8-4 with a 2.22 goals-against average and .930 save percentage in 30 games (26 starts) with the Stars last season. He helped Dallas reach the Stanley Cup Final, where it was defeated in six games by the Tampa Bay Lightning, with a 14-10 record, 2.69 GAA, .917 save percentage and one shutout in 25 postseason games (24 starts).

"Anton's play over the past two seasons has been nothing short of exceptional," Stars general manager Jim Nill said. "The immense skill and unmatched work ethic we've known Anton possess were on display for the entire hockey world to see during the Stanley Cup Playoffs. His impact on our team has been immeasurable and we're excited for Anton to continue his success with the Stars."

Nill said that the Stars feel good about their goalies, with Khudobin and Ben Bishop each signed for the next three seasons. Bishop, who had knee surgery in May and played three games during the postseason, was 21-16-4 with a 2.50 GAA, .920 save percentage and two shutouts in 44 games (43 starts) last season.

"The last two years our goaltending's been as good as any in the League, we've been in the top three the last two years," Nill said. "They're quality guys, their teammates believe in them, their teammates like to play for them, they play for their teammates and we've had a lot of success. As an organization, we thought it was important to do what we could to keep this pair together. They play for each other, and it's important. We're fortunate to be in the NHL and have two No. 1 goalies. They've proven that, and to have success in this League, you have to have goaltending. When you don't have it, you notice it right away. I'm comfortable now that we have one of the top tandems in the NHL."

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Khudobin had surgery to fix a nerve issue in his right arm Wednesday and said that he expects to be ready for training camp. The injury was sustained during the playoffs.

"It's something in the hand that had to be fixed, it's a nerve that has to be replaced so I can feel back my two fingers," Khudobin said. "It's not a big process. I didn't have a big surgery. The recovery time is like a month.

"They are numb and they are weak, so two fingers on my hand, they were numb, and they were really weak, so I had to figure out how to hold the stick, how to play the puck, to be honest," Khudobin said. "I couldn't put too much power in the shot, so I had to figure out how to play with defensemen whenever I had to pass the puck. But other than that, everything is good. I have another three fingers, so I played with three fingers, so play with just three fingers, but it wasn't good enough."

Selected by the Minnesota Wild in the seventh round (No. 206) of the 2004 NHL Draft, Khudobin is 99-76-25 with a 2.46 GAA, .919 save percentage and eight shutouts in 218 games (198 starts) with the Stars, Boston Bruins, Anaheim Ducks, Carolina Hurricanes and Wild. He is 14-10 with a 2.63 GAA and .919 save percentage in 27 Stanley Cup Playoff games (24 starts).