In a trade that trickled in shortly after the NHL Trade Deadline passed, the Minnesota Wild shipped the enigmatic Anton Khudobin to the Boston Bruins in exchange for Jeff Penner and the rights to Mikko Lehtonen. Khudobin, who was set to become a restricted free agent on July 1, was acquired by Boston to help stabilize and improve the sub-par goaltending in Providence. 

The 24-year-old Khudobin played in four games for the Wild earlier this season, going 2-1-0 with a very solid 1.59 goals-against average and a .942 save percentage. The run also included his first career NHL shutout, which we covered with an Audio Scouting Report. In six career NHL games, Khudobin is 4-1-0 with a 1.40 goals-against average and a .955 save percentage. He heads to Providence with a 19-12-1 record, a 2.58 goals-against average and a .911 save percentage in 34 games with the Aeros.

For Minnesota, this opens the door for German native prospect Dennis Endras to head over this summer and fight for an NHL gig. Because both Jose Theodore and Josh Harding are set to become unrestricted free agents on July 1, Endras could work his way into a backup role to Niklas Backstrom. This leaves AHL rookie Matt Hackett and former QMJHL standout Josh Tordjman to finish the season in Houston and re-claim the same role for next season as well.

Overall, this is great news for Endras fantasy owners. He has the ability to succeed in a backup role with the Wild and makes a good, cost-effective fit if the Wild don’t decide to sign another free-agent goalie over the summer. So while it’s unknown whether or not Endras is for sure heading over to North America, the opportunity is there for the time being. The move would come with some risk, as Endras would be a very inexperienced goalie if Backstrom suffers an injury.

For the Boston Bruins, this acquisition is all about shoring up the weak goaltending in Providence. To get a great picture of just how much Nolan Schaefer has struggled since coming over from the KHL, read Adam Kaufman’s articlethat discussed the puck-stopping problems back on February 19. As you can see, Schaefer has not re-adjusted to North American hockey very well and has struggled in the past month.

The same could be said for Matt Dalton as well, but his expectations were much lower due to this being his AHL rookie season. Dalton has split the season between Providence and the Reading Royals in the ECHL. The same can be said for rookie pro Michael Hutchinson, the southpaw that has much more upside and potential than both Dalton and Schaefer.

By acquiring Khudobin, Providence can rely on a veteran tandem of he and Schaefer to finish the season, while Hutchinson and Dalton can continue to play in Reading, which is where both goalies are able to continue developing. Aside from Hutchinson, who is still very early in his development process as a pro goalie, the Bruins were desperate for some goaltending depth behind Tim Thomas and Tuukka Rask. Boston’s only other solid prospect would be the long-term project Zane Gothberg, who is currently having a very solid season with the Fargo Force in the USHL.