'It was a little bit shocking': Huet

[Habsfan84]

Cristobal Huet left Montreal with his head held high.
The classy goaltender, who was traded to the Washington Capitals yesterday for a second-round draft choice in 2009, said his only regret was that he hadn't played better in recent weeks.
"It was a little bit shocking," said Huet, who was the Habs' No. 1 goaltender for most of the past two seasons. "I would have liked to finish the job here, but they decided to do that change."

View Larger Image Former Canadiens goalie Cristobal Huet meeting the press after being traded to Washington yesterday: "I had three great years here."


Huet, who might have sensed he was on the way out Monday after Carey Price was tabbed as the starting goaltender for last night's game against Atlanta, will step into the No. 1 job in Washington, where the Capitals are trying to catch one of the final playoff positions.
"From my point of view, it's a good opportunity to help a team make the playoffs; it's a challenge for me," Huet said.
Huet was notified of the trade when he received a call from general manager Bob Gainey late yesterday morning.
"I've come to expect the unexpected, but when I got the call I was shocked," Huet said. "I had three great years here. I had great teammates over the three years and it's a class organization. I can't say anything bad about this organization. It's a great city to play hockey in, but it's time to move on."
Huet's position with the Habs was tenuous because he is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1 and Montreal has two promising youngsters in Carey Price and Jaroslav Halak, who was recalled from the American Hockey League's Hamilton Bulldogs yesterday to replace Huet.
A native of France, Huet said he never got back into the groove after a giving up three goals in the first five minutes of a 6-1 loss to the Senators on Feb. 9 in Ottawa. He lost two of his next three starts, which prompted the Canadiens' decision to bank their future on Price and Halak.
"I tried to give my team a chance every time I played," Huet said, adding that he'll miss the fans and atmosphere in Montreal.
He said one consolation is that when he faces Caps superstar Alexander Ovechkin next, it will be in practice and not in a game.
The Canadiens were shut out in another attempt to make a trade. Atlanta general manager Don Waddell said Gainey was "aggressive" in pursuing Marian Hossa, but Atlanta eventually accepted a better offer from the Pittsburgh Penguins.
And while Gainey refused to say whether Michael Ryder, another potential unrestricted free agent, was part of his offer for Hossa, he added he didn't consider a one-for-one deal for Ryder.
Gainey noted that any offers for Ryder would have been for a similar player, creating the sort of "sideways" move Gainey wanted to avoid. He said Ryder was a player with special offensive skills, which could prove valuable in the run up to the playoffs.