Top Landing Spots for Wild Goalie Marc-Andre Fleury Amid NHL Trade Rumors
The Minnesota Wild are facing an uphill battle to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs, entering the week four points out of a wild-card spot in the Western Conference. While that might not seem like a lot, those points are hard to make up this late in the season, and they have two teams they would need to jump over.
It is possible. It will not be easy. The odds are also very much against them.
Given their place in the standings, it is reasonable to conclude they might become sellers over the next two weeks as the NHL trade deadline approaches. The only problem with that is they do not have many obvious players to sell—at least as far as rentals are concerned.
The one pending unrestricted free agent that might draw some serious interest around the league is veteran goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury. Several contenders around the league could use a veteran goaltender with championship experience, and quite a few of them should be interested if the Wild made Fleury available.
His salary-cap number ($3.5 million) is very manageable, he is an unrestricted free agent after this season so there is no long-term commitment, and the price in terms of assets probably wouldn't be outrageously high. Minnesota only needed to send a conditional second-round pick to Chicago to acquire him two years ago. It probably would not cost that much this season.
Given how expensive goaltending options like Juuse Saros (Nashville Predators) or Jacob Markstrom (Calgary Flames) figure to be (both in terms of trade assets and long-term contract outlooks) Fleury could be a really strong option for a significantly cheaper price.
The biggest obstacle here, however, will be Fleury's willingness to move.
He has a no-movement clause in his contract and has moved around the league quite a bit over the past few years. He said this week that he is not looking to move and that he is committed to helping the Wild. He holds all of the cards and controls everything regarding the situation, but it only takes one phone call and the right team to make him reconsider.
Keeping in mind that variable, let's take a look at some potential landing spots for Fleury that would make sense if Fleury were willing to move.
Colorado Avalanche
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If there is anything that would entice Fleury to waive his no-move clause, it might be an opportunity to add a fourth Stanley Cup ring to his resume.
Especially if he had a chance to play a major role in it.
That opportunity could come with the Colorado Avalanche, who have a pretty big need in goal as the playoffs approach. The Avalanche rank 25th in the league in all-situations save percentage as a team, while all three goalies they have used this season own a sub-.900 save percentage.
Regular backup Pavel Francouz has not played all season, while Alexandar Georgiev has taken a big step backward from what he did in his debut season with the Avalanche.
While Fleury's overall numbers are not much of an upgrade on paper, he has a much better track record than all of the Avalanche's options and hasn't had the opportunity to play behind a defense as good as Colorado's this season.
He has also been playing some of his best hockey of the season since the start of December.
After managing only a .875 save percentage through the first two months of the season, Fleury has posted a .911 save percentage in his 19 appearances since Dec. 1. Just for comparison's sake, the Avalanche goalies are at .895 over that same period.
That is the potential for a significant upgrade.
Most of the attention around Colorado has focused on its second-line center as the trade deadline approaches, but goalie is also high on that list. Fleury could help fix that at a very cheap price.
Edmonton Oilers
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Everything just said about the Avalanche also applies to the Oilers. Perhaps even more so, because they are facing a level of pressure that Colorado isn't.
At least the current Avalanche core has won a Stanley Cup and is simply trying to return to that level.
This Oilers core is still trying to reach its first Stanley Cup Final appearance since they all joined the NHL, and goaltending is the one big question that could hold them back from reaching it.
Edmonton tried to fix its goaltending position a year ago with the signing of free agent Jack Campbell, but that move has been such a swing-and-a-miss that Campbell isn't even on the NHL roster at the moment. Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard are trying to hold down the position with mixed results.
Skinner put together a couple of months of strong play between November and January to help turn the Oilers' season around, but both he and Pickard have struggled mightily over the past month.
No position will ruin a good team's chances faster than bad goaltending, and there is no way the Oilers can feel confident going into the playoffs with this duo.
Toronto Maple Leafs
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The Maple Leafs are another star-filled roster facing immense pressure to find success in the playoffs. They also have some massive question marks in goal that should be a concern going into the postseason.
Ilya Samsonov has had a wildly disappointing season, and while Martin Jones has arguably exceeded expectations as the team's backup, neither one should be filling Maple Leafs fans with a lot of confidence.
Toronto might be better served addressing its defense and forward depth, but goaltending depth wouldn't be a bad idea, either.
The Maple Leafs rank 20th in the league all-situations save percentage for the season, and neither Samsonov nor Jones has been particularly strong over the past month.
Toronto tried to acquire Fleury during the 2022 season—when he was eventually traded to Minnesota—and even had a deal in place before Brendan Shanahan nixed it. The Maple Leafs have a different front office and general manager this season, but it would not be a bad idea to revisit the idea.
Carolina Hurricanes
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Goaltending seemed to be a more pressing need for Carolina earlier this season, but Pyotr Kochetkov has really started to play well and has taken over the starting job in recent weeks. That is highly encouraging for a Hurricanes team that is once again a top Stanley Cup contender in the Eastern Conference.
But because Carolina doesn't have a ton of other pressing needs—or any at all—it might still be worthwhile to have a better safety net than what the Hurricanes currently have.
Antti Raanta has been productive in Carolina, but injuries have really limited him in recent years and he has not played up to his normal level this season when healthy. He is also expected to be sidelined for several weeks.
Spencer Martin has played well since being claimed on waivers from Columbus, but he is a journeyman that you might not want as your top backup going into the playoffs.
The Hurricanes don't need a full-time starter, and their roster is good enough that they don't need somebody who will have to steal games for them. They mainly need some reliable depth and somebody who is simply not going to lose games. Fleury could be a great option for that sort of player if he is willing to waive his no-movement clause for the Hurricanes.
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