March 4th is the NHL trade deadline, and it looks like Marc-Andre Fleury could be one of the biggest names available.
Earlier this week, Flower took sole possession of No. 2 on the list for goalie career wins, passing Patrick Roy. Fleury also recently played his 1,000th game in the league, and he’s one of the most well-liked players in the whole league.
Fleury is experienced and a great guy to have in the locker room. And if the Wild were to miss the playoffs, there’s a possibility Fleury could seek a contender, and an insider now claims that the Toronto Maple Leafs could be in the mix.
The Minnesota Wild hasn’t had the best start to the season, but they haven’t given up the season just yet.
They, and GM Bill Guerin, still hope they can make a push for the playoffs, but if they’re out of the race come March, Fleury could be traded, according to insider Pierre LeBrun.
“The Wild have not given up on this season. He (Guerin) thinks they can have a second half surge, they still believe they can be a playoff team. But, Guerin acknowledged that if they fall out of it, he expects teams to call and he expects to have a discussion with Marc-Andre Fleury,” LeBrun said on TSN.
Fleury has to lift his full no-trading clause for it to happen, but if they do, the Toronto Maple Leafs could be a team that tries to sign him. The Maple Leafs’ goalies haven’t had the best season, with Ilya Samsonov even being demoted to the AHL earlier this season.
“Fleury has to have that discussion with his agent Allan Walsh in the next couple weeks. They have a full no-move (clause). It’s up to Walsh and Fleury, if he goes anywhere before the deadline‚” LeBrun said, naming Toronto as a possible team.
”But there are some obvious teams to think about. Toronto tried to trade for him two years ago… but the Leafs still have question marks in goal. Edmonton, how about a mentor for Stuart Skinner? New Jersey, they haven’t had saves all year. Carolina, how about a mentor to (Pyotr) Kotchetkov? So, there are some obvious places where Marc-Andre Fleury would fit, if he has a meaningful role. He’s not gonna waive if he doesn’t play. We’ll see where this goes.”
