Stars Anton Khudobin out for season after hip surgery, Braden Holtby likely off the block
Anthony Scultore
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Dallas Stars goaltender Anton Khudobin will miss the remainder of the season after undergoing surgery on his right hip, the team announced Tuesday.
The surgery was performed by Dr. Bryan Kelly on Monday at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York. He is expected to need six months to recover from the initial injury.
Khudobin, 35, posted a 3-4-1 record with a 3.63 goals-against average and .879 save percentage in nine games (seven starts) this season. He has not played in the NHL since Jan. 15.
Rookie Jake Oettinger has shouldered the load in net of late for the Stars (32-22-3, 67 points). He owns a 19-8-1 record with a 2.43 goals-against average and .918 save percentage in 30 games (28 starts).
Stars Trade Deadline implications
With the news that Khudobin will be out for the season, this should quell any further speculation about Braden Holtby.
“With the Dallas Stars update that Anton Khudobin is out the rest of the season, it’s safe to say Braden Holtby will remain with the team,” Elliotte Friedman tweeted. “Stars — in TOR tonight — are one point out of the playoffs, but with multiple games in hand.”
Holtby, 32, is a pending UFA and nursing a lower-body injury. He is 10-10-1 with a 2.78 GAA, and a .913 SV%.
“His lower-body injury is still bothering him,” coach Rick Bowness said on Monday. “He’ll do what he can in practice and we go from there. We’re just kind of leaving it up to him, push himself as far as he can. When he starts to aggravate it, get off the ice.”
–Field Level Media contributed to this report