Stars GM Nill says goaltender Khudobin will test free agency

Dallas Stars goaltender Anton Khudobin (35) makes the save against the Tampa Bay Lightning during first period Stanley Cup Final action in Edmonton on Saturday, September 26, 2020. (Jason Franson/CP)

Dallas Stars general manager Jim Nill says goaltender Anton Khudobin will test the free agent market when it opens on Friday.

Nill told reporters about the decision in an end-of-season conference call on Thursday.

Khudobin, 34, is coming off an excellent post-season run during which he backstopped the Stars all the way to the Stanley Cup Final in place of starter Ben Bishop, who was revealed by Nill to have been recovering from knee surgery. In 24 post-season starts, Khudobin posted a record of 14-10 with a 2.69 goals-against average and a .917 save percentage.

A veteran of 11 NHL seasons, Khudobin has spent the last two seasons in Dallas. In 2019-20, he appeared in 30 games with a 16-8-4 record, a 2.22 goals-against average and a .930 save percentage – which led the league.

Nill also announced that the interim tag would be removed from Rick Bowness's title and he will be the Stars head coach moving forward. Bowness was named interim head coach in December after the team dismissed Jim Montgomery, and then coached Dallas to a 20-13-5 record in 38 regular-season games before leading the Stars on their run to the Stanley Cup Final.

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