The Toronto Maple Leafs have been playing solid hockey lately and are in a strong position heading toward the trade deadline. They will indeed be looking to be active as it nears the end of February, and plenty of names will be available to them as they look to bolster their roster for a hopeful playoff run. One place they will need to improve to make a deep run is their goaltending depth, and one veteran goaltender could have interest in allowing a trade to the Maple Leafs. Marc-Andre Fleury is considered an NHL legend who has proven himself a winner. Even in his elder years, he helped the Vegas Golden Knights have a deep playoff run and has been a brick wall for the Minnesota Wild, single-handedly keeping their playoff hopes alive at times.
Related: Maple Leafs Should Make a Push for Marc-André Fleury
With injury issues to Joseph Woll, amongst others, and inconsistent play between the pipes, it’s no surprise the Maple Leafs could be looking at adding a goaltender. Fleury would be a solid option, but only if the asking price isn’t too high. The Maple Leafs also don’t have a second-round draft pick for the subsequent three drafts, but they do have their first-round picks. For a veteran rental goalie like Fleury, it doesn’t make sense for the Maple Leafs to part with a first-round pick unless it comes with an extension and the Wild are willing to retain at least 50% of his contract. When I say at least, I mean they help find a third team to help facilitate an extra 25% of retention for the remainder of the season.
There is no accurate comparison of the return for Fleury since no goalie trades have gone down yet this season, but it shouldn’t be too high of an asking price. Regardless, if Fleury is interested in helping facilitate a trade to the Maple Leafs, they should inquire about his availability. The Wild have been known in the past to be willing to retain money in exchange for future assets and draft picks, so it wouldn’t be shocking if they were willing to do it with a Fleury deal.
Fleury’s NHL Resume
Fleury, who is 39 years old, was drafted first overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft after a strong season in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) with the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles where he posted a 3.36 goals-against-average (GAA) and a .910 save percentage (SV%) through 51 games played. In his rookie season with the Penguins, Fleury posted a 3.64 GAA and a .896 SV% through 22 games before finishing the season with the Screaming Eagles, posting a 1.98 GAA and a .933 SV% through 10 games.
Fleury bounced between the NHL and AHL for a few seasons before earning a full-time spot in the NHL in the 2008-09 season. Since then, he has spent time with the Golden Knights, Wild, and Chicago Blackhawks. In 1,011 games played over parts of 20 seasons, Fleury has posted a 2.59 GAA and a .912 SV%. Fleury is a three-time Stanley Cup champion, won the Vezina Trophy and William M. Jennings Trophy in 2021, and is also a five-time All-Star.
The Maple Leafs are back in action tonight (Feb. 17) in a matchup against the struggling Anaheim Ducks. With under a month left until the trade deadline, the Maple Leafs should be looking to get increasingly active on the trade front to bolster their lineup. Hopefully, they can make the right moves and build a lineup to give them their first Stanley Cup since 1967.