The Leafs appear to have dodged a bullet with this veteran goaltender
When thinking of the best goalies to ever play in the NHL, it's impossible not to include Marc-André Fleury on that list. Currently playing his 19th season with the league, Fleury has gathered his fair share of hardware with three Stanley Cup championships and a Veniza Trophy over the years. That's not even including the back-to-back silver medals he has from playing in the World Junior Championships in 2003 and 2004 and the gold medal he won with Team Canada competing at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. So an argument not to claim him as one of the best goalies the NHL has seen isn't valid.
However, that doesn't mean he hasn't hit some rough patches during his career. To be completely honest, Fleury's been off to a brutal start with the Minnesota Wild. One week into the season, the Wild are 0-3-0 and have accumulated 20 goals against between those three games played. Fleury has started in two of those games, credited for only one of the losses, but is currently sitting with a .776 save percentage and an average of 8.37 goals against per game.
It's not an ideal way for any team to start, but it's safe to say Wild fans aren't impressed with their team's efforts.
During the offseason, Fleury secured a two-year, $7 million contract extension after being traded to the Wild from the Chicago Blackhawks at the deadline. Before Fleury landing in Minnesota and before Toronto's offseason loss of Jack Campbell, there was a lot of talk regarding Fleury and the Leafs. That didn't happen, and maybe Kyle Dubas dodged a bullet by not bringing Fleury to the Six.
That being said, it's still very early in the season and Fleury has plenty of time to make a turnaround. I will say, though, team "McFleury Soup" in my fantasy league isn't off to a great start so far this season, and it may not be long before the name is changed.
| POLL | ||
OCTOBRE 20 | 232 ANSWERS The Leafs appear to have dodged a bullet with this veteran goaltender Do you think Toronto is better off without Fleury? | ||
| Yes | 124 | 53.4 % |
| No | 54 | 23.3 % |
| Murray is already hurt, so we shouldn't talk | 54 | 23.3 % |
| List of polls | ||
