Marc-Andre Fleury granted a leave of absence from Wild

Last night's 6-5 OT loss against the Buffalo Sabres probably didn't help, either.

After signing a two-year, $7 million contract with the Wild this past offseason, the veteran goaltender has likely put a lot of pressure on himself based on how the team is performing. However, that type of pressure can become intensified when personal matters are taking a toll off the ice too.

It's not necessarily uncommon for an NHLer to be frustrated by personal matters and have it affect their game, but that doesn't make it any better to see. These guys already have so much pressure on them. So their mental and emotional well-being should never have to be an afterthought.

Although it's unknown precisely what personal matter Fleury is dealing with, time off is needed, and all should respect that. Hopefully, once he recoups, he will return and appear much more himself than the MAF we're currently seeing.