Report: The Leafs are on Fleury's short list of teams he'd be willing to sign with
At the 2022 NHL trade deadline, there were several reports of the Leafs and Blackhawks working on a potential deal that would have sent 3-time Stanley Cup winner Marc-Andre Fleury to Toronto. Obviously, for one reason or another, the deal fell apart, and only ever came to light because of someone within the Blackhawks organization leaked it to the media, which REALLY irked Leafs GM Kyle Dubas, who actually called out Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson by name openly during a press conference.
Eventually, Fleury was dealt to Minnesota and played 11 games for the Wild at the end of the season and 5 playoff games. Long considered one of the NHL's very best goaltenders, Fleury looked very pedestrian both in the regular season and in the playoffs last year, and by the looks of things, he probably won't be back in Minni next season.
Even with a down year, the 37-year-old goaltender is expected to have a long list of teams with interest this summer during free agency, but Fleury may not have interest in all of his suitor cities. Even more interesting, according to The Athletic, Fleury may actually consider putting Toronto on his short list, due to the opportunity that would await him and the club's status as a perceived contender.
If Evolving Hockey's projections prove accurate, the Leafs could land Fleury on a two-year deal for what could amount to less what they might have to shell out to retain Jack Campbell. Evolving Hockey's model, Fleury's projection is 2 years at $4.7M per season. I know it sounds like homerism here, given the fact that this is Fleury's last chance at medium-large money deal, but I think he might even consider leaving some money on the table and signing for less to ensure that the Leafs have money to spend elsewhere in the lineup to give himself the best chance to win.
| POLL | ||
JUIN 23 | 739 ANSWERS Report: The Leafs are on Fleury's short list of teams he'd be willing to sign with Is Marc-Andre Fleury the missing piece in Toronto? | ||
| Yes | 372 | 50.3 % |
| No | 225 | 30.4 % |
| We need someone younger and better | 142 | 19.2 % |
| List of polls | ||
