Goaltender Cristobal Huet is planning a comeback to the NHL.
The 36-year-old unrestricted free agent last played in league with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2010 before the team loaned him to Switzerland’s HC Fribourg-Gotteron to relieve cap space.
Huet told InGoal Magazine on Monday that his agent had talked to “a few” NHL teams, but is also willing to be patient for the right deal.
“I still belong, I’m better than some other guys, and I’d like another shot,” Huet said. “The latest possible to give me a chance to be back to NHL. I’m ready to take the risk, and then if nothing, I will wait until something opens in Europe.”
Huet, from 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 club’s starting goaltender, winning the Roger Crozier Saving Grace Award with a league-leading .929 save percentage.
After a brief stint with the Washington Capitals, Huet signed a four-year contract with the Blackhawks in 2008. He won the Stanley Cup with the team in 2010 but an up-and-down season saw Huet lose the starting role to Antti Niemi and the team sent him to Europe.
