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Marc-Andre Fleury

Snapshots: Stone, Fleury, Beaulieu

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Today has been a big day for news surrounding the Vegas Golden Knights, with coach Pete DeBoer being relieved of his duties this morning. That run of news now continues thanks to GM Kelly McCrimmon’s press conference today, where he revealed that captain Mark Stone, who battled injuries all year, would “most likely” be undergoing back surgery this offseason. McCrimmon did note that they expect Stone to be ready for training camp this fall, but this is nonetheless unwelcome news for a team looking to rebound from the most disappointing season in the history of their young franchise.

Stone, who just turned 30, struggled to stay healthy this season and only managed to get into 37 games. Stone’s back injury bothered him all season, leading to his placement on long-term injured reserve in early February. Stone did eventually return from LTIR in order to help the Golden Knights in their ultimately unsuccessful playoff push, but it now seems likely that his late-season activation from LTIR was more about trying to keep the team’s playoff hopes alive than it was about Stone’s back being fully recovered. If the cap-strapped Golden Knights have any hope of returning to contention next season, getting their captain back to 100% health should be a top priority, and it seems that they have elected a back surgery as the best way for Stone to get there.

Now for some other bits of news from across the NHL:

  • The goaltending situation of the Minnesota Wild has been a major storyline surrounding the team ever since they acquired the legendary Marc-Andre Fleury at the deadline. It was a move that would end up costing the incumbent number-one goaltender, Cam Talbot, his chance to be the team’s unquestioned starter come playoff time, and  There has been much speculation devoted to whether or not the Wild could manage to return that tandem for next season. Today Fleury spoke to the media and clarified his thoughts on the matter. Fleury said, per Michael Russo of The Athletic, that a return to the Wild would be “very appealing,” but that he will test free agency to at the very least see what his options are. Fleury went 9-2 in his 11 regular-season appearances with the Wild, and although he eventually ceded the crease to Talbot by the end of the Wild’s first-round loss to the St. Louis Blues, it’s clear that he was a good fit in Minnesota. Whether or not he continues that arrangement will be a storyline to watch going forward, as his comments do indicate clear interest in a return.
  • While this will give no solace to Pittsburgh Penguins fans still reeling from the team’s season-ending overtime loss to the New York Rangers, their team failing to advance in the playoffs does have one (very small) benefit. As CapFriendly notes, because of the Penguins’ elimination, they will retain the 2022 seventh-round pick they surrendered to the Winnipeg Jets as part of their trade for defenseman Nathan Beaulieu at the deadline. Beaulieu was acquired with the intention of being a reserve defenseman for the playoffs, and although he did end up activated from LTIR during the playoffs he did not skate in any games. For the Jets, this outcome is likely their favored one as had the Rangers lost to the Penguins, the Jets would lose their chance at landing a first-rounder as part of the Andrew Copp trade.

Snapshots: Wild, Babcock, Trouba

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Questions are sure to arise this offseason in the State of Hockey. The Minnesota Wild, although they forced the series to six games, were dealt with pretty handily in the final days of their season by the St. Louis Blues, capped off by a 5-1 rout in Game 6.

Now, with the full effect of the controversial Zach Parise/Ryan Suter buyouts kicking in next season, many wonder how the Wild will be able to manage their cap space moving forward. NBC Sports’ James O’Brien looks at a few routes the Wild could go down to manage their salary cap situation next season. The buyouts take up a combined $12.74MM next season, and although the team’s cap situation is fuzzy due to the amount of playoff Black Aces still on the active roster, they’ll surely have less than $10MM to work with this offseason. That includes signing Kevin Fiala, who’s a restricted free agent with arbitration rights (again), to a new deal, and finding a goalie to replace (or to-resign) Marc-Andre Fleury. While Fiala could be dealt, especially after an underwhelming playoff performance, they could also look to clear out some depth names. O’Brien names Dmitry Kulikov, who carries a $2.25MM cap hit next season, as another trade piece, although he does have an eight-team no-trade list (somehow).

  • While there hasn’t been any official link, and there likely won’t be knowing the tight-lipped Lou Lamoriello, The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz names former NHL bench boss Mike Babcock as a potential fit for the New York Islanders’ coaching vacancy. Kurz references Lamoriello’s history with Babcock in Toronto, and Lamoriello’s history of opting for tougher, more aggressive voices in the room as a solution to unsatisfactory team performance. Since then, he’s served as a senior adviser at the University of Vermont and the head coach of the University of Saskatchewan.
  • After Jacob Trouba’s controversial hit that gave Sidney Crosby a reported concussion, The Athletic’s Eric Duhatscheck looked at whether the NHL could examine a potential rule change to penalize similar hits in the future. Duhatschek notes that penalizing all hits to the head is extremely unlikely, as evidenced by current NHL leadership’s hesitation against cracking down on body contact. While illegal head contact exists in the NHL, by its definition, the league viewed Trouba’s hit as legal.

Cam Talbot Expected To Start For Minnesota Wild

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The Minnesota Wild, with their backs against the wall in the first round, appear to have decided to go back to the goaltender that led them through most of the season. Michael Russo of The Athletic reports that Cam Talbot was working in the starter’s net at morning skate and left the ice first, suggesting he’ll be in tonight when they take on the St. Louis Blues in game six of their first-round series.

The decision to move from Marc-Andre Fleury from Talbot comes after the former allowed four goals in each of the last two games, both 5-2 wins for the Blues to take the series lead. Talbot, 34, will regain his position as the starter, a spot he held for most of the year until the Wild acquired Fleury at the trade deadline. In 49 appearances this season, Talbot went 32-12-4 with a .911 save percentage.

It’s that trade, and a related one that moved regular backup Kaapo Kahkonen out, that will cause plenty of criticism if Minnesota ends up getting knocked out in the first round. The team sent a conditional second-round draft choice to the Chicago Blackhawks for the reigning Vezina winner, one that only upgrades to a first if the team reaches the third round with Fleury with at least four wins in the first two.

Perhaps more important was the trade that saw Kahkonen–no longer needed with Fleury in the picture–go to the San Jose Sharks along with a fifth-round pick for defenseman Jacob Middleton. While Middleton has been a nice fit, Kahkonen once again showed down the stretch that he is a capable NHL netminder, posting a .916 save percentage in 11 appearances with the Sharks. He’ll be a restricted free agent this summer that’s due a hefty raise, and while that’s not something the Wild might have been able to afford anyway because of their tricky cap situation, there’s now plenty of uncertainty in the team’s crease moving forward.

Talbot is signed for one more year but Fleury is an unrestricted free agent and will turn 38 in November. The team does have 19-year-old Jesper Wallstedt on their reserve list (he has yet to sign his entry-level contract), expecting him to step directly into the spotlight in a year’s time is optimistic, if not foolish.

At any rate, the focus will be on this evening, when the Wild try to keep their season alive with Talbot in the crease. In his 32 career playoff appearances, he has a .923 save percentage.

Marc-Andre Fleury Plans To Return Next Season

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With Marc-Andre Fleury’s three-year, $21MM contract extension expiring this offseason, many wondered if the 37-year-old netminder would return to NHL ice for 2022-23, especially after his offseason trade to the Chicago Blackhawks and ensuing retirement rumors. The answer to that query appears to be yes, with Fleury saying today he’d “like to play another season” after this one.

Fleury had a rough start to the season in Chicago, putting up one of the league’s worst goaltending performances early on behind a shoddy defense. But as the defense improved under new head coach Derek King, so did he, to the point where he boasted a .908 save percentage and fetched a conditional first-round pick at the Trade Deadline from the Minnesota Wild. He’s kept his solid play going since the trade, posting a .921 save percentage and saving 4.45 goals above average so far in a Wild uniform (according to Natural Stat Trick).

He is an unrestricted free agent this offseason, however, and with Minnesota’s impending severe cap crunch, many contending teams are likely to be in a position to offer him more money. It’s not impossible to rule out the option of Fleury taking a discount to stay in the Twin Cities, though, especially if he helps catapult the team to a deep playoff run.

If Fleury does join a fifth NHL team though, it would be his fourth in just the past three seasons, a high level of movement for the future Hall-of-Famer considering he spent the first 13 years of his career in Pittsburgh. Another season as a starter would give him a fighting chance at 1,000 NHL games, a mark achieved only by three other goalies in NHL history — Martin Brodeur (1,266), Roberto Luongo (1,044), and Patrick Roy (1,029). He currently sits at 935 games played, and with a few more starts down the stretch this season, he’d like need 55-60 games worth of action next year to hit the millennium mark.

One team likely to make a huge pitch for Fleury is the Colorado Avalanche, who were linked to him multiple times throughout the season but ended up pulling out with Darcy Kuemper regaining his form. Kuemper is a pending unrestricted free agent, though, and if the two can’t agree to an extension, expect the Avalanche to once again be connected to ’Flower.’

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Wild Acquire Marc-Andre Fleury; Trade Kaapo Kahkonen To Sharks

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The reigning Vezina Trophy winner has been traded again. The Chicago Blackhawks have traded Marc-Andre Fleury to the Minnesota Wild, in exchange for a conditional second-round draft pick in 2022. If Minnesota advances to the Western Conference Final and Fleury wins a minimum of four games in the first two rounds combined, the pick will upgrade to a 2022 first-round pick. Chicago is also retaining 50 percent of Fleury’s contract.

Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson released the following statement:

This trade immediately puts us in a better position at the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, giving us a pick that will land early in the draft. We are in a better position today at the upcoming draft than we were yesterday. In a short time with the Blackhawks, Marc-Andre made quite an impression on our fanbase and in our locker room. We appreciate his willingness to work with us on finding a deal that worked for everyone. 

In a related move, the Wild have traded Kaapo Kahkonen and a 2022 fifth-round pick to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for Jacob Middleton.

As recently as last night, the talks between Minnesota and Chicago appeared to have broken down, as the veteran netminder took the crease for the Blackhawks against the Winnipeg Jets. Fleury ended up losing that game, allowing five goals on 31 shots. That performance notwithstanding, he’ll offer a huge experience upgrade over Kahkonen as the Wild continue their pursuit of the Stanley Cup.

Fleury, 37, won the Vezina with the Vegas Golden Knights last season in the most impressive year of his career, but ended up shipped out to the Blackhawks in a shocking offseason move. From the moment it happened, Fleury’s days in Chicago seemed numbered, given his expiring contract and the lack of competitiveness from the Blackhawks after games started. The question was always would he even want to be traded somewhere else, as he ended up with a handshake no-movement clause after arriving in Chicago.

Minnesota now has a netminder with over 900 regular season games of NHL experience, plus three Stanley Cup rings on his shelf. Still, that certainly doesn’t mean he’s ready to take the Wild all the way. In both of the last two championships he won in Pittsburgh, Matt Murray took over the net at some point in the playoffs, and a similar change happened in Vegas when they brought in Robin Lehner. Over 162 career playoff games, Fleury has just a .912 save percentage, not exactly what most teams need to go all the way.

Among executives in the league who know what Fleury can bring though, Wild GM Bill Guerin certainly ranks pretty high. Their time in Pittsburgh together was quite successful, and now they’ll try to do it one more time before Fleury’s career wraps up in the coming years (or months).

He’ll still have another goaltender to lean on with Cam Talbot, but the fact that Minnesota felt Kahkonen was expendable certainly shows how all-in Guerin is this season. The Wild have huge cap penalties coming next season due to the Ryan Suter and Zach Parise buyouts, meaning this year may be their best chance to contend. Giving up a conditional first-round pick may be a pricey decision for a rental goaltender, but it’s hard to argue against the resume that they’ve brought in.

In dealing Kahkonen to San Jose, the Wild have also shored up the defensive side of the puck by adding a big, mean, physical player in Middleton. The 6’3″, 220-lbs defenseman has finally broken through and become a regular in the NHL this season, averaging more than 18 minutes a night. With the additional acquisition of Nicolas Deslauriers, the Wild have added plenty of size to the lineup to go on a deep postseason run.

For San Jose, adding Kahkonen gives them a potential future starter, though things haven’t gone perfectly so far in his young career. The 25-year-old has a .910 save percentage this season in 25 games. Importantly, he’s also a pending restricted free agent, one that the Wild would have had to give a hefty raise despite still paying Talbot next season. For the Sharks, they now have two younger goaltenders–along with the injured Adin Hill–who could both provide some great value moving forward.

Sharks acting general manager Joe Will released a statement on Kahkonen:

Kaapo is a quick, athletic goaltender who has shown the ability to win consistently at every level he has played. He provides our club additional depth at the goaltending position this season and in the coming years.

Questions will now be asked about James Reimer though, who currently sits as the starter for the Sharks and is signed through next season. There isn’t really room for all three, meaning at some point–either today or in the summer–there could be a market for San Jose to move Reimer out.

Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff was first to provide the full details of the Fleury trade, while Michael Russo of The Athletic broke the Kahkonen trade a few minutes after Fleury was acquired. 

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Deadline Notes: Fleury, Domi, Copp, Maple Leafs

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An interesting story circulated today with a new team being added to the watch-list for goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury: the Minnesota Wild. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman mentioned earlier that the Wild and the Chicago Blackhawks have had conversations about the veteran goaltender and that it was something to keep an eye on. Even if the two sides could agree on a deal, Fleury has a modified no-trade clause and the Blackhawks do not plan to trade him to a team without his approval, and thus, Fleury would have to want to be traded to the Wild.

Fleury has expressed his desire to try to help a team win a Stanley Cup, which the Wild appear poised to try to do. In last year’s Vezina Trophy winner, the Wild could find a pronounced upgrade over the struggling Cam Talbot. An All Star this season, Talbot has struggled greatly since his All Star appearance, posting an .886 save percentage over 10 games. Another factor in the Fleury talks worth considering is that Minnesota’s GM, Bill Guerin, won a Stanley Cup with Fleury and the Pittsburgh Penguins back in 2009, so there is an element of familiarity for Fleury in Minnesota.

  • On the 32 Thoughts segment of Hockey Night in Canada this evening, Sportsnet’s Jeff Marek discussed trade talk heating up around Columbus Blue Jackets’ forward Max Domi. Marek mentions the Washington Capitals, Boston Bruins, and Colorado Avalanche as potential suitors for the forward. However, for Washington, in order to facilitate this trade, they would likely need a third team to participate, as the Capitals only have $155K in deadline day cap space. A deal of this nature could prove more expensive for Washington, however they will have to face that reality in almost any scenario. This season, Domi has nine goals and 23 assists in 52 games for Columbus.
  • Also on Hockey Night in Canada, Friedman noted that talks around Winnipeg Jets’ forward Andrew Copp were intensifying, with the Boston Bruins, Colorado Avalanche, and New York Rangers most in the mix. Many have speculated that whoever was most interested in Claude Giroux, that did not acquire him, would likely turn to the Jets to try to bring in Copp. Both the Avalanche and the Rangers had made a push for Giroux, but Giroux appeared to only be willing to waive his no-trade clause for the Florida Panthers. In Copp, teams can expect a strong, gritty 200 foot player with a scoring touch. The forward currently holds a $3.64MM cap hit and is set to become a UFA this summer. Also of note out of Winnipeg, if a team is unable to acquire Copp, the Jets could also look to move veteran Paul Stastny, who has 31 points in 51 games this season to go with a $3.75MM cap hit that expires this summer.
  • Friedman also discussed the Toronto Maple Leafs’ trade deadline plans at length on Hockey Night in Canada. He reiterated Toronto’s strong desire not to move a first-round pick or any top prospects for strictly a rental player. While Mark Giordano has been linked to Toronto and prefers to be traded there, Seattle’s price on Giordano may make him too expensive for the Maple Leafs to bite. Marek suggests, in the alternative, GM Kyle Dubas could look to Justin Braun of the Philadelphia Flyers. Braun certainly isn’t the player Giordano is, however he fills a need for Toronto, that of a veteran shut-down defenseman, and comes at a much more reasonable $1.8MM cap hit that expires this summer, and could presumably be acquired without the Maple Leafs having to part with a top prospect or any of their future first-round picks. Despite Toronto’s search for defensemen, Friedman does still believe that the Maple Leafs will move defenseman Travis Dermott by Monday’s trade deadline. Dermott carries just a $1.5MM cap hit, is signed through next season, and will be a RFA thereafter.

West Notes: Doughty, Sturm, Fleury, Broberg

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The news for Kings defenseman Drew Doughty doesn’t appear to be good as TSN’s Darren Dreger reports (Twitter link) that the blueliner’s undisclosed injury is more significant than the team believed and that he’ll be out longer than expected as a result.  The veteran suffered the injury back on March 7th against Boston and was placed on injured reserve back on Sunday.  If Doughty winds up having to miss the next six weeks, his $11MM AAV could be shifted to LTIR, giving Los Angeles extra cap room to work with at the trade deadline.  Of course, it must also be said that without their top rearguard, the Kings will face a tougher battle to make it to the postseason.

More from the Western Conference:

  • Prior to trading him to Colorado, the Wild offered center Nico Sturm a long-term contract extension, reports Michael Russo of The Athletic (subscription link). Obviously, that offer was rejected and he was instead traded for Tyson Jost.  Speculatively, that offer would have been around the $2MM that Jost is making.
  • With the trade deadline just over 48 hours away now, it appears to be all quiet on the Marc-Andre Fleury front, suggests Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic (Twitter link). Fleury has been assured by the Blackhawks that he’ll have the final decision as to whether or not he’ll accept a trade even though he doesn’t have a full no-trade clause.  LeBrun notes that at this point, there have been some general inquiries but none that could be described as serious.
  • Oilers defenseman Philip Broberg suffered an injury in Friday’s AHL game and is set to undergo an MRI, notes Daniel Nugent-Bowman of The Athletic (Twitter link). The 20-year-old has played in 22 games with Edmonton this season and if he’s going to miss any extended period of time, it could push them to look to add some extra defensive depth by the deadline.

Trade Rumors: Hurricanes, Rangers, Capitals

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The Carolina Hurricanes are undoubtedly going to finish the season as Metropolitan Division champions, and they’re making a challenge for the Eastern Conference title and President’s Trophy as well. But unlike most contenders, TSN’s Pierre LeBrun says that the Hurricanes aren’t willing to deal their 2023 first-round selection at the deadline for a rental player. The Hurricanes have already surrendered their 2022 choice as compensation for signing Jesperi Kotkaniemi to an offer sheet last summer. While Carolina, based on the language of the tweet, is willing to move it for a player under contract, this likely takes them out of the conversation for rental defensemen such as Mark Giordano and Hampus Lindholm, who are sure to command first-round selections after Montreal received one in return for Ben Chiarot.

More trade rumors on this Saturday morning:

  • The Athletic’s Arthur Staple names Anaheim’s Rickard Rakell as “the most logical piece” for the New York Rangers to acquire at the deadline. Rakell, who has 16 goals and 12 assists in 51 games this season, wouldn’t fix the Rangers’ defensive issues in the slightest. But he would provide a more established scoring option for the Rangers to insert on the wing in the top six, and would help create better depth matchups for the third and fourth lines. While Alexis Lafreniere is performing solidly by most advanced metrics, the points aren’t coming for him despite playing alongside Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider. If acquired, Rakell could likely slot in there, allowing Lafreniere and Frank Vatrano to slot in on the third line when fully healthy.
  • While the Washington Capitals are still interested in goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, The Athletic’s Tarik El-Bashir notes that general manager Brian McLellan is unwilling to move top prospects Connor McMichael, Hendrix Lapierre, or the team’s first-round selection in 2022 in any trade. It’s likely a smart move for Washington, who faces an already impossible path through the Eastern Conference playoff gauntlet, and it’s hard to imagine that acquiring Fleury would change that meaningfully. It’s a smarter bet to play on house money with this roster and retain the pick to help reload the team’s prospect pool.

Latest On Marc-Andre Fleury

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The trade deadline frenzy got off to a nice start yesterday when the Colorado Avalanche sent two pieces to the Anaheim Ducks for Josh Manson. In Chicago, the Blackhawks are set to join the ranks of sellers as new general manager Kyle Davidson starts in on the rebuild that he recently promised. Front and center among any discussion of the Blackhawks’ deadline plans is Marc-Andre Fleury, who sits as arguably the best goaltender (potentially) available in the next few days.

Greg Wyshynski of ESPN gave his thoughts on Fleury today, explaining that though he still would bet that the goaltender doesn’t move before Monday’s deadline, it’s now close to a 50-50 shot. It’s unclear what kind of market there even is for Fleury at this point but Mark Lazerus and Scott Powers of The Athletic write that Chicago’s price tag is actually a first-round pick, perhaps even with an additional prospect attached. That’s a pretty hefty fee for a netminder who was acquired for essentially nothing in the offseason and would certainly be considered a coup for the new management group.

Obviously, that price change is due to the fact that an acquiring team no longer has to carry Fleury’s full $7MM cap hit this season, especially if the Blackhawks were willing to retain a portion. As we saw yesterday with the Manson trade, the fact that the deadline is so late in the season, combined with a 50 percent salary retention, can make a player cost very little against a contender’s cap.

The question for many will be, what does Fleury actually bring to the table? The 37-year-old goaltender is the reigning Vezina winner, but has been extremely inconsistent this season behind a struggling Chicago defense. In 43 games, he has a .908 save percentage and has allowed almost a full goal more per game than his career-defining 2020-21 campaign.

Likely a Hall of Fame goaltender when he finally hangs up his pads, there’s no one that questions the experience and character that Fleury brings to the table. Not only does he rank high on the regular season goaltending lists, but he’s also played 162 games in the postseason, winning three Stanley Cups. Perhaps one more shot at a championship would be interesting for him–and it does sound like it’s up to him where he’ll go or whether he’ll move at all–but the Blackhawks aren’t going to just give him away without getting something of real value.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Blackhawks Notes: Fleury, Kubalik, Carpenter

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While Marc-Andre Fleury hasn’t decided on whether or not he’ll agree to be traded before the March 21st trade deadline, it appears he has made a decision in terms of his preference for free agency in the summer.  In particular, as Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times relays, the 37-year-old wants to avoid hitting the market altogether with his preference next season being either to sign with Chicago or re-sign with whoever winds up acquiring him.  It’s worth noting that a condition can’t be placed on a draft pick regarding whether the player signs an extension or not – it used to be allowed but it was taken out in the last CBA.  Accordingly, if Fleury winds up being amenable to a move, it wouldn’t be surprising if the acquiring team winds up with a window to speak with him about an extension before the trade is made official.

More from Chicago:

  • Pope reports in the same column that the Ducks have been interested in winger Dominik Kubalik and that the 26-year-old is no longer viewed by the organization as part of their future. Kubalik is owed a $4MM qualifying offer and with 11 goals and 10 assists in 59 games this season, it would be hard to justify tendering that offer although there’s nothing stopping GM Kyle Davidson from approaching him about signing a cheaper deal to stay in Chicago; it stands to reason that Anaheim would be interested in signing him for less as well.  Pope also lists the Oilers as a team that has been linked to him although making the cap work would be a lot more challenging for them than it would for Anaheim.
  • The Predators are among the teams to inquire about center Ryan Carpenter, Pope reports. The 31-year-old has just three goals and seven assists this season but is averaging just over two hits per game while winning more than 52% of his faceoffs.  For a team looking to add checking depth for the postseason, the pending unrestricted free agent would fit the bill and with a $1MM AAV, he’d be affordable for most teams.

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