In this edition of Stars’ News & Rumors, Ben Bishop takes a big step in his recovery, Anton Khudobin is rumored in connection with a trade, and more.
Bishop Takes Big Step in Injury Recovery
After being left in the dark for nearly a year, Stars fans finally received an update yesterday on the health of veteran goaltender Ben Bishop. For the first time since the second round of the 2020 playoffs, Bishop will play a hockey game as he is scheduled to start Thursday night for the Texas Stars of the American Hockey League. The Stars announced yesterday that Bishop will be loaned to the AHL on a conditioning assignment to test out his knee in game action. This stint can be for a maximum of three games before Dallas will need to re-evaluate him and make a decision on his future.
For Bishop, the road back has been a long one filled with false hope and disappointment but he is excited to finally get his chance again.
“It’s been a long process. It is what it is. It’s the cards I was dealt. You have to play them. I’ve taken my time getting ready, and now we’re here. I’m very excited. There’s a little nerves, too. It should be a lot of fun. We’ll see where it’s at.
– Stars goaltender Ben Bishop
The news further blurs an already hectic crease for the Stars, who now have four NHL-caliber goalies on their roster. With Jake Oettinger and Braden Holtby stealing the show and Anton Khudobin sitting as the odd man out, something has got to give, and soon.
Khudobin Trade Rumors
Speaking of something has got to give, it seems that Khudobin is the piece that will be moving out of Dallas. Although it was assumed that he was the primary target for a trade, things became more real when news broke about discussions between the Stars and the Buffalo Sabres.
Unfortunately, the NHL is a tough business and tough decisions need to be made. This is one of those decisions as Khudobin has delivered excellent goaltending and become a fan favorite during his time in Dallas. While there is no specific timeline on a trade, the play of Oettinger and Holtby along with the progress of Bishops’ recovery has certainly sped up the process overall. On top of that, Dallas would like to make a trade before Khudobin loses more value serving as a healthy scratch.
Related: What’s Next For Stars’ Goaltender Anton Khudobin?
Stars Win Seventh Straight Game
The Stars stayed red hot last night as they took care of the Arizona Coyotes at home 4-1. This was the seventh straight win for Dallas, the eighth straight win at home, and made them winners of nine out of the last ten games overall. The top line is clicking, their goaltending has been excellent, and they found their game which eluded them over the first month of the season. To put it simply, they are the hottest team in the league right now.
“We measure ourselves up against us. We try to play Dallas Stars hockey. We’ve done that and we’ve won, we’ve brought the goals against down, so we’re moving the way we want, and we’re scoring goals because we’re playing better defensively. We have to play our hockey. You want to beat the top teams, but more importantly it’s making sure we play our game against the top teams. When we do that, we’re capable of beating anybody.”
– Stars head coach Rick Bowness
With the win on Monday, Dallas tied a franchise record for the longest winning streak (7) and tied the second-longest home winning streak in franchise history (8). Now, the Stars head out on a three-game road trip through the west coast that includes stops in Vegas, Los Angeles, and San Jose, marking their first trip to these arenas since January 2019.
