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Malhotra signs AHL tryout with Lake Erie

Manny Malhotra Jonathan Bernier

Manny Malhotra Jonathan Bernier

AP

Manny Malhotra is getting another chance to show he can still play. The 35-year-old center has agreed to a tryout with the Blue Jackets’ AHL affiliate, the Lake Erie Monsters.

“Manny is a high character player who has a lot of experience having played nearly 1,000 games over his 16-year NHL career,” said Blue Jackets assistant GM/Monsters GM Bill Zito in a release. “We are happy to have signed him to a tryout contract and believe he will provide great leadership and contribute to our club both on and off the ice.”

Malhotra played 58 games for Montreal last season, scoring one goal and three assists. Though he was excellent as usual at faceoffs, winning almost 60 percent of the 906 draws he took, the Canadiens cut ties when his one-year contract expired.

The Rangers drafted Malhotra seventh overall in 1998. He appeared in 344 games for the Blue Jackets after being claimed off waivers from Dallas in 2003.

Malhotra suffered a serious eye injury in March of 2011 when he was a member of the Vancouver Canucks. He’s since played NHL games for the Hurricanes and Canadiens.

Related: NHL ‘satisfied’ with Canucks’ decision to place Malhotra on IR