"Looking refreshed and recharged, Blackhawks goalie Cristobal Huet marveled Thursday at the restorative powers of a few days in Mexico with his family during the Olympic break.

"It's always good to get away and regroup,'' Huet said after practice. "My condition mentally and physically is 100 percent.''

He must have repeated it five times if he said it once. Huet realizes why Chicago wonders about his psyche and wants him to discuss his feelings like he's on Oprah's couch instead of in front of a hockey locker.

It's because everyone knows Huet's vacation really started much earlier than the schedule dictated as he watched rookie Antti Niemi start and win four straight games. That only increased speculation Huet was headed places that weren't south of the border.

The NHL will lift its Olympic trade moratorium at midnight Sunday, and with the deadline Wednesday, those rumors persist.

There's the one bringing Panthers goaltender Tomas Vokoun, the league leader in shutouts and save percentage, to the Hawks. There's the one outspoken ex-Hawk Jeremy Roenick floated on WMVP-AM earlier this week about Huet going back to Montreal for Canadiens goalie Jaroslav Halak. There's the buzz the Stars want to move veteran Marty Turco.

There was every reason for Huet to be rattled as he went back to work Thursday for the final 21 games. He hasn't started since Feb. 5, hasn't won a start since Jan. 28 and, though coach Joel Quenneville declined to name a starter for Tuesday night when the NHL resumes play, the message seems Cristobal clear in Hawkeytown: Huet's out, Niemi's in.

"We're close to where somebody is going to get the net and the opportunity to keep it,'' Quenneville said. "That was the chance, (Niemi) took it and he has it. He has won some games and I don't like usually bucking that trend.''"