Bruins Re-Sign Anton Kuhdobin and Trent Whitfield

The Boston Bruins have announced that they have re-signed goaltender Anton Khudobin and center Trent Whitfield to two-year contracts. The financial terms of both deals were not disclosed. Boston acquired Khudobin on February 28 from the Minnesota Wild in exchange for Jeff Penner and Mikko Lehtonen. In four games last season with the Wild, he posted a 2-1-0 record, one shutout, a 1.59 GAA, and a .942 save percentage. He also appeared in 50 games with Houston and Providence of the AHL, posting a 28-16-2 record, two shutouts, a 2.52 GAA, and a .914 save percentage. He did not appear in any games with the Bruins after the trade. Whitfield appeared in 45 games last season with Providence, scoring 18 goals and 18 assists for 36 points. Khudobin isn't a bad depth signing for the Bruins, as he has the skills to at least be a backup goaltender at the NHL level. He has good puck-stopping abilities and is very agile, but will likely see a lot of time in the minors next season unless Tim Thomas or Tuukka Rask should miss time with an injury. Whitfield is really just a depth signing for the team, as he will likely spend all of next season in the minors. If he sees any time with the Bruins, it will likely be on the fourth line.

Bruins Acquire Khudobin from Wild for Penner, Lehtonen

In the final deal on Trade Deadline Day, the Boston Bruins have acquired goaltender Anton Khudobin from the Minnesota Wild in exchange for defenseman Jeff Penner and the rights to left wing Mikko Lehtonen. Khudobin and Penner are eligible for restricted free agency this summer, while Lehtonen is currently playing for Skelleftea of the Swedish Elite League and is not signed to an NHL contract. His last NHL contract expired last summer, but che hose to play in Sweden this season instead of sign an NHL deal with the Bruins. Khudobin has appeared in four games with the Wild this season, posting a 2-1-0 record, one shutout, a 1.59 GAA, and a .942 save percentage. He has also appeared in 34 games with Houston of the AHL, posting a 19-12-1 record, with a 2.58 GAA and a .911 save percentage. Penner has played in 57 games with Providence of the AHL this season, scoring five goals and 14 assists for 19 points, while Lehtonen has 29 goals and 27 assists for 56 points in 52 games with Skelleftea. Not a bad depth move for the Bruins, as Khudobin has the skills to at least be a backup goaltender at the NHL level. He has good puck-stopping abilities and is very agile, so could possibly become a backup to Tuukka Rask one day after Tim Thomas has retired from hockey. Penner gives the Wild an offensive-minded defenseman who has some puckmoving skill, but is a bit undersized for a blueliner. Still, he has plenty of upside and could earn a roster spot with the Wild down the road. Lehtonen brings lots of size and some offensive potential to the Wild, so he may be able to earn a roster spot on the team down the road as well.

Wild Re-Sign Goaltender Khudobin to One-Year Contract

The Minnesota Wild have announced that they have re-signed goaltender Anton Khudobin to a one-year, two-way contract. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. In two games last season with the Wild, he posted a 2-0-0 record with a 0.87 GAA and a .979 save percentage. He also appeared in 40 games with Houston of the AHL, posting a 14-19-4 record, four shutouts, a 2.43 GAA, and a .907 save percentage. Not a bad signing for the Wild, as Khudobin has the potential to become a starting goaltender in the NHL. With Niklas Backstrom and Josh Harding under contract for next season, Khudobin will likely play most of the season in the AHL, but could see some NHL action if either Backstrom or Harding become injured.