Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury (29) stands on the ice during the second period in Game 1 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup third-round playoff series against the Montreal Canadiens at T-Mobile Arena Monday, June 14, 2021.
Published Tuesday, July 27, 2021 | 8:48 a.m.
Updated 1 hour, 2 minutes ago
A Marc-Andre Fleury trade has been rumored for two years and today, it finally happened. The Golden Knights sent their Vezina Trophy-winning, future Hall of Fame goaltender to Chicago and got almost nothing in return.
The Golden Knights shipped Fleury away with the agreement Chicago would take on his $7 million salary, the team announced. The return is minor leaguer Mikael Hakkarainen, who is not a top prospect.
“This organization, this city and this fanbase will forever be grateful to Marc-Andre Fleury for the impact he’s made on and off the ice in just four years,” the Golden Knights said in a statement on Twitter. “We wish Marc-Andre and his family the best in this new chapter of their lives.”
There are hockey reasons for trading the 36-year-old face of the franchise.
Fellow goalie Robin Lehner is younger (30), cheaper ($5 million cap hit) and signed for four more years. The Golden Knights made the deal to allow Lehner to thrive as the organization’s top goalie, as well as clearing the large cap hit Fleury carried.
A report from the Athletic said Fleury found out about the trade via Twitter.
Hakkarainen is a 23-year-old forward who has played 14 AHL games and spent parts of the last two years in the ECHL. He has two professional goals and is not regarded as a future NHL player.
Fleury’s future is unclear. A tweet from his agent, Allan Walsh, and media reports suggest Fleury may not report to the Blackhawks and could opt for retirement instead of playing out the last year of his contract. If he retires, neither Vegas nor Chicago would have any sort of cap penalty. He is expected to talk over the situation with his family, and a decision might not come soon.
Vegas projects to have about $7 million in cap space after a reported three-year deal for Alec Martinez is finalized, according to CapFriendly. They could use that space to acquire some scoring help up front when free agency opens Wednesday or in a trade for another top player.
Fleury was a strong Hall of Fame candidate based on the 13 years he spent with the Penguins, but he solidified it with the Golden Knights.
In four years with Vegas, Fleury posted a .917 save percentage and 2.41 goals-against average. His 117 wins moved him into third place on the all-time list with 492. He led Vegas to the postseason all four years and reached the Stanley Cup Final in the inaugural 2017-18 season.
This year was his crowning achievement, posting a .928 save percentage and 1.98 goals-against average that were the best of his career. He won the Jennings Trophy with Lehner as the goalies with the fewest goals allowed in the league, and he won his first Vezina Trophy as the league’s top goaltender.
Lehner is now the projected starter in Vegas, and if the Golden Knights do not make another move for a goalie, he will be backed up by Logan Thompson, who starred in the AHL last year but has never started in the NHL.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
