“I was like, ‘Man, I couldn’t believe I’m back,’ ’’ Khudobin said Tuesday, following his first informal workout in Brighton alongside an assortment of Bruins veterans and hopefuls at the Warrior Rink practice facility. “It felt like . . . it felt like . . . I just came back in the season. It didn’t feel like I haven’t been here in three years.’’

The affable Russian netminder is back in Boston with his eye set on regular work as Tuukka Rask’s relief man, after three years living the DFA life (designated for assignment) as an NHL backup goalie.

Hotel Black and Gold. Anton Khudobin checked out, but he feels like he never left.


Khudobin, now 30 years old, was Rask’s reliable first lieutenant for 14 games in the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season. It was that performance, impressive yet brief, that earned him a comfortable free agent deal in North Carolina, where he played deep into 2014-15 until the Hurricanes dished him to Anaheim.

But the Ducks last year opted instead to go with John Gibson and Frederik Andersen in their net, which left Khudobin a free agent shopper at the end of the season after being buried in the AHL. Now he’s here, on a one-year deal at $1.2 million, and it will be up to coach Claude Julien and the rest of the Boston cognoscenti to decide whether Khudobin or the eager Malcolm Subban gets the backup job.

“More playing time is always good,” noted Khudobin. “But I know Tuukka is going to play more, and he’s No. 1, so I just focus on my game and how I’m going to help the team.’’

Truth is, the Bruins haven’t had a sure-handed backup to work with Rask since Khudobin signed with Carolina. Chad Johnson, Niklas Svedberg, and Jonas Gustavsson each had their one-year turns, but none of them truly instilled the kind of confidence that allowed Julien to give Rask a much-needed breather during the arduous grind of an 82-game season.


In those three years, Rask appeared in all but 54 of Boston’s 246 regular-season games. That works out to 78 percent of the work nights. An ideal workload for Rask would be somewhere in the range of 50-55 games, leaving him fresh-legged and mentally buoyant for the playoffs (if the Bruins can qualify).

Subban, of course, will try to have a say in the matter. He is about to enter his fourth season in the organization, all but 31 minutes of his playing time spent in AHL Providence.

Subban, a first-round draft pick and only 22 years old, could be ready for varsity work. But he remains an untested NHL commodity and is also returning after a nasty throat injury, a fractured larynx suffered in February. The Khudobin acquisition, in part, was to give the club insurance if Subban needs more time to recover his game and confidence.

“You always have to compete, not matter which position you play,’’ noted Khudobin. “No matter how big is your contract, you always have to compete, you always have to show what you are capable of doing. What are you, No. 1, No. 2, whatever.

“And if you know 100 percent you are No. 1, it is actually harder. If you compete, it is always easier to show in practices and the easier it’s going to be in the games.’’


Sometimes, but not always. Khudobin’s three predecessors here didn’t find that to be the case. Johnson this year is beginning yet another fresh start in Calgary. Svedberg is playing for a second KHL season with Ufa Salavat Yulayev. Gustavsson caught on in the offseason with Edmonton, where ex-Boston general manager Peter Chiarelli calls the shots.

All of that will be sorted out soon enough. Boston rookies report to duty a week from Thursday (Sept. 15). A week later, it’s the varsity (sans the World Cup soldiers). The preseason schedule kicks off Sept. 26 and the Bruins will play four games in six nights.

It’s a good bet Khudobin will see plenty of work. After a need to improve the club’s defensive corps, the need to find Rask a reliable second is perhaps second on the Bruins’ to-do list.

No question Khudobin is thrilled. He eagerly ticked off what he likes about being back, noting how much he liked the organization and teammates in his first stay. From a practical standpoint, Boston feels like home, he said. He likes the ideas of going to Whole Foods for his groceries, and returning to his favorite barber shop when it’s time for a trim.

“It sounds like, starting right now,’’ he said with a big smile, “I am realizing I am here.’’

Kevin Paul Dupont can be reached at kevin.dupont@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @GlobeKPD.