No matter how his comments during this past summer were perceived, Anton Khudobin doesn’t believe he’s supplanted Cam Ward as Carolina’s No. 1 goalie.
What Khudobin believes, for the record, is that he and Ward should compete for the starting job, and whoever plays better should play more.
But about those offseason comments...
“Somebody asked me, like, did you feel that you were No. 1 because of your game or because of Cam’s injury?” Khudobin told the News & Observer.
“Maybe (it) was just the timing, when Cam got hurt and I came in, so I played more and more. It’s not because he got hurt or I am just the No. 1. I never say that.
“I never say it with any team, that I am No. 1.”
Regardless, based on last season’s numbers alone, Khudobin deserves to start 2014-15 as the Hurricanes’ top goalie.
That said, the ‘Canes still believe Ward can be an “elite” goalie. And when you’ve got a Conn Smythe Trophy on your résumé -- not to mention a $6.7 million salary -- you’re going to get a chance to prove yourself again.
Said Ward: “If whoever is in the net is winning hockey games, that’s what best for the team.”
Tough to disagree with that.