Marc-Andre Fleury is no stranger to getting traded, and the three-time Stanley Cup champion and surefire Hall of Famer could be on the move again ahead of the Mar. 8 NHL Trade Deadline.
After being shipped from the Chicago Blackhawks to the Minnesota Wild back in 2022, he signed a two-year, $7 million contract extension to remain with the club for at least a couple more seasons.
But as his contract is up at the end of this campaign — and with the Wild battling for a playoff spot but currently on the outside looking in — it only makes sense that the 39-year-old could be on the move again.
This time, the ball is in the Canadian’s court.
“I think Marc has earned the right to call the shots here,” Wild GM Bill Guerin explained on KFAN on Minneapolis on Friday. “It’s a complicated situation. But the best thing right now is to just play hockey and not complicate with ‘what-ifs.’ I don’t know what’s going to happen. … I’ll be talking to ‘Flower’ down the road. It won’t take long to figure it out.”
Guerin also confirmed that Fleury’s future in Minnesota could be impacted by the team’s upcoming back-to-back set. Minnesota will visit Rogers Place to take on Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers on Friday night.
Filip Gustavsson will get that start, but MAF will be between the pipes on Saturday against the Seattle Kraken. Ultimately, it will be his decision whether or not he is traded on or before Mar. 8.
Marc-Andre Fleury has been excellent as of late
Although Fleury’s season has been up-and-down — just like the Wild’s — he’s skated to a respectable 11-10-3 record with a 2.96 goals-against average and .897 save percentage over 27 games (23 starts).
But he’s been much better as of late, going 4-1 in his last five with a 2.23 GAA and .918 save percentage.
The fan favorite said earlier this season that he was focused on helping Minnesota get into the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and there is definitely still a chance. As of Friday, the Wild are 26-24-6 and just four points back of the final playoff berth in the Western Conference.
It will be intriguing to see if Marc-Andre Fleury will play for a fourth team in five seasons come Mar. 8.
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