In Dobby We Must

Bad news hit the Stars recently whenever it was announced that both goaltender Ben Bishop and forward Tyler Seguin would be out for the next five months.

Bishop underwent right knee surgery with a torn meniscus while Seguin had a right hip arthroscopy and labral repair to heal a torn labrum. That puts their recovery times for them to be back in April at the minimum. There is no telling on the chances of any post-injury delay to being 100% ready to play NHL games.

It is unknown how far along the Stars will be in their season in April but now all eyes turn to goaltender Anton Khudobin. Khudobin is fresh off a folk hero like playoffs and free agency extension. He is a big reason the Stars made it to the Stanley Cup Final.

The question now is where these injuries put the Stars goaltending situation at for the 2020-2021 NHL Season.

Anton Khudobin became an unrestricted free agent after the Stars were eliminated in the Stanley Cup Final by Tampa Bay. He briefly tested the market before signing a 3-year $10 million deal with the Stars.

With Bishop’s injury, the gauntlet of starting goaltender now lies in the hands of Khudobin for a sizeable portion of the regular season. We currently do not know the length of the regular season in terms of games but we do know that the start is scheduled for the vicinity of January 1, 2021.

Jake Oettinger and Landon Bow are the 3rd and 4th goalies for the Stars and one of them will likely be promoted to backup goalie for the time being.

With this recent run to the Stanley Cup Final, Anton Khudobin reached folk hero status amongst Stars fans. With his locker room victory screech “We’re not going home!” to his spectacular play after being called in to be the goaltender after the injury to Bishop earlier in the season, Khudobin more than fits the moniker of a fan favorite. His play against the Vegas Golden Knights cemented this role, holding the #1 team in the Western Conference Vegas to 8 goals in 5 playoff games.

After the Stars finally left the Edmonton Bubble, Stars fans greeted the team charter plane at Dallas Love Field Airport with raucous cheers and applause for their recent Stanley Cup Final run. Khudobin got the loudest of chants with fans greeting him with “Dobby! Dobby! Dobby!” After looking fatigued after such a long journey, he even signed autographs and took pictures with fans.

Nicknamed “The Kazakhstani Scorpion” by play-by-play announcer Daryl Reaugh, Khudobin will need to continue his legend status with Stars fans for the 2021 NHL season. Everyone on the team will have to step up their game. The depth forwards must as well due to Seguin’s energy. Khudobin has a big task in front of him and one that he is more than ready for.