Sometimes a veteran player doesn’t have time to wait.
Such is the case for unrestricted free agent goaltender Cristobal Huet, who was eyeing a return to the National Hockey League in a backup role but instead signed a four-year deal with Swiss club Laussane on Saturday, according to the club’s website.
Earlier this summer, the veteran told InGoal magazine that his intention was to wait for a NHL goaltending job to open up and that his agent had been speaking with a few North American teams.
Huet last played in NHL with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2010 before the team loaned him to Switzerland’s HC Fribourg-Gotteron to relieve cap space.
Huet, a native of Saint-Martin-d’Heres, France, was a seventh-round pick by the Los Angeles Kings in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft. He was traded to the Montreal Canadiens prior to the 2005-06 season and quickly emerged as the team’s starting goaltender, posting a league-leading .929 save percentage.
After a brief stint with the Washington Capitals, Huet signed a four-year deal with the Blackhawks in 2008. He won the Stanley Cup with the team in 2010 but his inconsistent play caused Huet to lose the starting role to Finnish rookie Antti Niemi, and the team sent him to Europe that summer.
Last season with HC Fribourg-Gotteron, Huet posted a 1.99 GAA and .932 save percentage.
During his eight NHL seasons, Huet ran a 129-90-32 record to go with his .913 save percentage in 272 games. Huet will be 37 years old when the 2012-13 season begins.
