Marc-Andre Fleury Trade Rumors are Flying Already
Marc-Andre Fleury and the Minnesota Wild have struggled all year with consistency. Blame injuries or don’t, they find themselves at the bottom of the Western Conference standings (41 PTS) either way.
With the NHL season half over, the Wild need to pick up the pace or they will quickly fall out of the playoff race, something Bill Guerin says hasn’t happened yet. But if it does, the Wild don’t just risk letting their season get away, they risk losing goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, too.
Could Minnesota Wild Trade Marc-Andre Fleury?
If the Wild continue to lose, according to a recent report from NHL insider Pierre LeBrun (The Athletic), Fleury may not finish the season with the Wild.
I’m certainly not ready to write off the Wild. A lot can change in a few weeks. But if that second-half surge doesn’t happen, Fleury will be an intriguing name ahead of March 8, just like he was two years ago when Chicago ultimately dealt him to the Wild. I know of a couple of teams that are planning to reach out to the Wild in the coming weeks to get a sense of things on him. Just part of doing their due diligence.
The Athletic
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The NHL trade deadline is on March 8th, giving the Minnesota Wild plenty of time to maybe go on a run, GM Bill Guerin has said he still believes in his club and is not ready to give up on them quite yet. Guerin recently had a press conference.
“And I think Flower just wants to focus on his team right now and his play,” added Guerin. “We’ll see how it goes and then we’ll have the appropriate conversations. “It’s just too early for that, and I’m not ready and I’m sure Flower isn’t ready to have that conversation either.”
Bill Guerin (via The Athletic)
After new head coach John Hynes was hired, the Wild went on a little run, winning 11 of 14 games, and getting them back in the early season playoff race. Since then, the Wild have won two out of the last ten games, putting their season in danger of slipping away before the All-Star break.
Kirill Kaprizov and Jonas Brodin have recently returned from injuries and Bill Guerin is hoping that will help lead to a hot January finish. But the early rumblings make one thing clear for sure. Fleury isn’t finishing this season with a non-playoff team.
Landing Spots For Fleury
The NHL legend surely wants to land on a team contending for the Stanley Cup, similar to how the Wild traded for Fleury a few years ago when he was on a struggling Blackhawks team. So that begs to question, who would be in the running for Fleury, should he become available? LeBrun listed five teams that make sense.
- Toronto Maple Leafs
- Edmonton Oilers
- Carolina Hurricanes
- New Jersey Devils
- Colorado Avalanche
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Fleury is a free agent after this season, and at 39-years-old, retirement could be after that. The Wild aren’t expecting to get much in a trade, as it would be more about doing Fleury a favor, as he approaches retirement.
Will the second-winningest goalie in NHL history be traded before March 8? If they start winning, then no. But if the losing continues, bye bye Marc-Andre Fleury.
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