Goalie Roulette: Would Fleury be willing to come to Toronto??? (maple leafs)

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Goalie Roulette: Would Fleury be willing to come to Toronto???

By Mike Augello

Jun 16, 2022 • 8:49 am

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Between now and the NHL Draft, there are a number of factors that could affect the direction that the Toronto Maple Leafs take in regards to the club for next season. Arguably the most important decision is between the pipes, where the club appears to be ready to move on from Jack Campbell (based on his rumored price tag as an unrestricted free agent) and the speculation that GM Kyle Dubas will look to either trade or buyout Petr Mrazek one year into his three-year, $11.4 million deal.

Late last week, TSN’s Chris Johnston speculated that the Leafs could be interested in two-time Stanley Cup winner Matt Murray, possibly after being bought out by Ottawa or in a trade if the Sens retained salary or took back a contract like Mrazek in the deal. Earlier this week, Sportsnet’s Nick Alberga reported that Anaheim Ducks goalie John Gibson has informed the club that he would be open to being dealt.

Islanders goaltender Semyon Varlamov with one year left on his contract could be an option, as is inexperienced unrestricted free agent Ville Husso. On the other end of the free-agent spectrum is three-time Cup winner Marc-Andre Fleury. The 37-year-old future Hall of Famer was a victim of the Vegas Golden Knights cap crunch last summer and was traded to Chicago, where he played most of the season before being moved to Minnesota as a rental.

Between the Hawks and Wild, Fleury went 28-23-5, with a 2.90 GAA and .908 save percentage, and started the first five playoff games against St. Louis before being replaced by Cam Talbot. In spite of his age, the former first overall pick is still a legitimate starter.

TSN’s Darren Dreger reported that Toronto was interested in Fleury before the trade deadline, but that Dubas balked at the high cost (that included top prospect Matthew Knies and a first-round pick) for the veteran netminder and winger Brandon Hagel, but the cost is no longer a factor because he is unrestricted.

The determining factor is whether Fleury wants to come to Toronto for one more stab at a Cup. The trade talks never got to the point of the Hawks asking him if he would be willing to waive his no-trade clause, and there have been rumors that the Wild and two of his former clubs (Vegas and Pittsburgh) may want to bring him back.

Fleury’s resume is everything that Toronto could be looking for as a short-term fix, but they likely would have to pay him close to his $7 million salary from last season to get him to choose the Leafs over more familiar destinations.

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