Goalie controversies are nothing new in the NHL, and they’re certainly nothing new to Penguins’ goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury. In the 2013 playoffs, Fleury had to deal with a potential goalie controversy when Tomas Vokoun won the starting job from him. Evidently, the veteran netminder was able to find his way back into the Penguins crease for at least the next three seasons, but rookie goalie Matt Murray not only performed well in Fleury’s absence, he won a Stanley Cup.
Marc-Andre Fleury doesn’t deny it: He wants his starting job back https://t.co/ld8zcZFjIX
— NBC Sports Hockey (@NBCSportsHockey) August 8, 2016
To Fleury’s credit, he never really lost the starting job. In the regular season, Fleury compiled a 35-17-6 record, along with a 2.29 goals against average and a .921 save percentage. A late-season concussion for Fleury, and some questions following a shaky return to the net, however, solidified Murray as the Penguin’s starter for the duration of the playoffs.
Due to the emergence of Murray in the Penguins net, coupled with the upcoming expansion draft next year, Fleury’s time in Pittsburgh has been rumored to be close to an end for months. That may not be the case if Fleury has anything to say about it, though.
I love Pittsburgh, and the Penguins are my team; I want to stay with them for the rest of my career. I had some good conversations with management after the season. Nothing is written in stone. I want to come to camp ready to win my job back. I have to get back to the same level of play and help the team win games.
It should be an uphill battle for Fleury to win the starting job again given the circumstances, but strangers things have happened. As it stands, the Penguins certainly have solid depth in net, barring any major moves.