Pending UFA Khudobin hopes to stay with Stars next season

Impending free agent Anton Khudobin is hoping to stay with the Dallas Stars, but he's letting his agent figure things out so he can focus on hockey.

"That's my agent. That's his part. ... Of course I want to sign a new deal. But right now, we're just playing hockey," Khudobin said Saturday, according to The Dallas Morning News' Matthew Franks. "If there is any talks, my agent will let me know.

"I signed, back in the day, an extension. It was in Carolina. It was talks and talks and talks and talks. I said to my agent, 'Kent, listen. You know what I want. Talk to them. Let me know what they want. I don't want to go through the whole conversations every day and stuff like that, because I want to play hockey.'"

Khudobin previously inked a two-year, $5-million deal with Dallas in 2018.

The 34-year-old is coming off the best season of his NHL career. He led the league with a .930 save percentage over 30 games and put together a 16-8-4 record with a 2.22 goals-against average while forming one of the league's best goalie tandems with teammate Ben Bishop.

Khudobin recognizes that he may not be called upon this postseason, but he says he's ready to do what's needed.

"I'm just preparing to help my team win, go farther as possible in (the) playoffs. Either I'm going to play, either I'm not going to play, whatever," he said. "And then, whenever free agency comes, maybe I'm going to sign an extension here. I don't know."

Khudobin continued: "And then when my agent calls me and says, 'Listen, (Stars general manager Jim Nill) wants this and that. Do you want that?' Either I say no or yes. That's how I'm preparing. Yes I'm happy. I would like to stay."

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