Monday was full of Anaheim Ducks news, goaltender Anton Khudobin was placed on waivers and Nate Thompson has been suspended.
The Anaheim Ducks made some news early Monday morning and later in the day received some news. It started with Anton Khudobin being placed on waivers. The three goalie situation was not going to last forever and the decision to place Khudobin on waivers should not be all to shocking. Soon after this news broke, the NHL player saftery department announced that Nate Thompson has been suspended for 3 games.
Here’s a link to the video explanation of the suspension.
While I for one am not on board with that 3 game suspension, it simply is what it is. The NHL player safety department has cracked down on high hits this season so it is no real surprise that they dish out another lengthy suspension.
Thompson is eligible to return on December 22nd when the Ducks face the Rangers at Madison Square Garden, the final game of a New York/New Jersey road trip.
Onto Khudobin….
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John Gibson essentially stole the Anaheim crease with Freddie Andersen out of the lineup due to the flu. Gibson has started the last eight games for the Ducks posting a 1.74 goals against average and an even strength score adjusted save percentage of .955%. Gibson also has 2 shutouts and was named the NHL’s first star of the week to start December.
However, Gibson was pulled in last Friday’s game and Freddie Andersen came on in relief. This made it pretty clear that Khudobin may be the odd man out and he has since been placed on waivers.
If a team claims Anton Khudobin, then the Ducks will be off the hook for his $2.25 million cap hit which could be a nice relief if Gibson and Andersen can stay healthy.
But will a team claim Khudobin?
Montreal is going to be without Carey Price for a little while longer and they could be a team that considers claiming Khudobin. Backup goaltender Mike Condon has given up 15 goals in six starts since Price’s injury, giving up 3 goals in each of his last three starts. Dustin Tokarski is coming off of a win where he allowed one goal and Montreal may choose to rely on those two until the reigning MVP returns.
Columbus is another team that could be intrigued by Khudobin.
More from Ducks News
- Who could the Anaheim Ducks consider presenting offer sheets to?
- Is Pierre-Luc Dubois on the cards for the rebuilding Anaheim Ducks?
- Making the case for the Anaheim Ducks to trade with the Edmonton Oilers
- Anaheim Ducks might benefit tremendously by trading John Gibson
- How close are the Anaheim Ducks to becoming contenders again?
Sergei Bobrovsky has gone down with an injury that will sideline him for the next two to three weeks. Bobrovsky had a rough start to the season but seemed to find his confidence before injuring himself.
Curtis McElhinney has allowed 8 goals in two starts since Bobrovsky’s injury, not very good. This could spark interest in the veteran Khudobin.
However, both Montreal and Columbus are flirting with the salary cap upper limit and that may steer them away. Another team could swoop in to claim Khudobin as well.
If Khudobin clears waivers and is sent to the AHL, the Ducks will gain $950,000 in salary cap relief. The remaining $1.3 million of Khudobin’s deal would become barried cap. Khudobin is however a free agent at seasons end.
Stay tuned for news on whether or not he clears waiver.