At least four teams expected to compete with the Leafs for the services of Marc-Andre Fleury; Leafs appear to be early favourites
We are just 6 days away from the opening of the NHL's free agent frenzy. This season, many NHL teams are in desperate need of goaltending upgrades after a save percentages plummeted league wide. The Free agent market will have some solid options available, but the competition will be fierce to sign them. Darcy Kuemper appears to be in the process of re-signing with the Stanley Cup Champion Colorado Avalanche, leaving Marc-Andre Fleury, Blues netminder Ville Husso and Toronto's Jack Campbell as the top 3 options for teams seeking goaltending. Campbell and Husso are both expected to test the market, while Minnesota is trying to convince Fleury to stay on there.
Fleury would be a fantastic pick up for the Leafs, but if he does make it to market, they will be far from the only ones vying for his services. TSN's Pierre LeBrun reported today that the Leafs will be up against Washington, Pittsburgh, Colorado and the Wild in the Fleury sweepstakes. Its doubtful that he lands in Pittsburgh, the Pens already have Tristan Jarry and have just signed Casey DeSmith to an extension. Similarly, the Caps already have Vitek Vanecek and Ilya Samsonov on payroll. Colorado will more than likely retain Kuemper, which leaves the Leafs and Wild as the two true contenders for the 2021 Vezina Trophy winner. The Leafs have $1.5 million more in available cap space than the Wild at the moment, with one less player on the NHL roster.
In my opinion, Fleury is more likely to sign in Toronto than Minnesota. At 37 years old, Fleury is likely looking for a team that can be a contender and a city where his family can be comfortable. It would also be a homecoming of sorts for Fleury, as the Quebec-born goaltender has never played for a Canadian team. It seems more and more likely that Fleury could land in Toronto, if he does, the Leafs immediately become a better hockey team for it. For now, all we can do is wait and hope that Dubas can find a way to sign the future Hall of Famer.
**Update, there was a bit of a scare for Leafs fans after a report from Kevin Weekes suggested that Fleury may have had a 1-year deal in place with the Minnesota Wild. Weekes has since tweeted out a retraction, and thus, the Fleury to Toronto dream is still very much alive!**
