"Currently $4.1-million over the NHL's salary cap, Chicago Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman has a plan in place that will see the defending champs sneak under just in time for the start of the 2010-11 season.

To get there, the Blackhawks will have stay over the cap for at least another month. Twelve days before the NHL season begins, however, backup netminder Cristobal Huet's $5.625-million (all currency U.S.) contract is eligible to be placed on waivers and "loaned" to another team.

On Monday, reports surfaced that Huet has a deal in place to play for Swiss club HC Fribourg-Gotteron, three hours away from his hometown of Grenoble, France.

While the arrangement has yet to be finalized, if he joins that team next month, Huet's contract will no longer count against the cap and Chicago will be under by more than $1.5-million with 21 players under contract.

NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said Huet playing in Europe would be "no different than an assignment to the AHL" and is perfectly legal under the collective bargaining agreement. "