Conflicting Reports Surround Marc-Andre Fleury Contract with Wild
Marc-Andre Fleury has not signed a one-year contract to return to the Minnesota Wild, according to TSN's Darren Dreger.
ESPN's Kevin Weekes previously reported Fleury had agreed to a deal.
Minnesota acquired Fleury from the Chicago Blackhawks for a conditional first-round pick in a March trade. The move made sense from both teams' perspectives, as Chicago was not a contender and the Wild added a proven goaltender for their playoff push.
This past year marked the franchise's ninth postseason appearance in a 10-year stretch, and in acquiring Fleury they were hoping it past the second round for the first time since 2003.
The Wild came up short, however, losing in the first round to the St. Louis Blues in six games.
Fleury's has built a strong resume of postseason success, including three Stanley Cup victories during his time with the Pittsburgh Penguins from 2003-04 through 2016-17. He made two of his four career All-Star appearances with Pittsburgh, led the league in shutouts during the 2014-15 campaign and posted a 2.58 goals-against average and .912 save percentage with the team.
Throw in the playoff success with the Stanley Cup titles, and he will forever be a Penguins legend.
Yet he also found success with the Vegas Golden Knights during the next four seasons when he became the face of the new franchise and seemed to rejuvenate his career some.
Fleury finished with even better numbers with a 2.41 goals-against average and .917 save percentage over the course of the four seasons and took home the 2020-21 Vezina Trophy as the league's top goaltender.
It was the first Vezina in his career, but the highlight of his time with the Golden Knights came when he led them to the 2018 Stanley Cup Final in the franchise's first season in existence.
Fleury was brilliant in four playoff runs with Vegas, recording a combined 2.25 goals-against average and .920 save percentage.
While it may not be realistic for Minnesota to expect that type of production considering he will be 38 for most of the 2022-23 season, he has remained effective of late.
The hope for the Wild is the playoff experience will include a Stanley Cup title with this new contract.
