Fleury dealt to Blackhawks, reportedly doesn't want to play for them
Marc-Andre Fleury may not suit up for his new team.
The Vegas Golden Knights dealt the reigning Vezina Trophy winner to the Chicago Blackhawks for forward Mikael Hakkarainen, the clubs announced Tuesday.
However, Fleury was "totally shocked" by the deal, a source told The Athletic's Mark Lazerus. A second source told Lazerus that Fleury doesn't want to play with Chicago, saying the longtime puck-stopper isn't interested in moving his family to an unfamiliar city and that it's not about the Blackhawks organization.
Several hours after the trade, Golden Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon revealed Fleury wasn't interested in leaving.
"(He) wanted to play in Vegas," the GM said, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.
Fleury's agent, Allan Walsh, confirmed the Golden Knights didn't inform his client of the move, and he said Fleury will need to consider his next step.
While Marc-Andre Fleury still hasn’t heard from anybody with the Vegas Golden Knights, he has apparently been traded to Chicago. Marc-Andre will be taking time to discuss his situation with his family and seriously evaluate his hockey future at this time.
— Allan Walsh (@walsha) July 27, 2021
Fleury found out about the trade on Twitter, reports The Athletic's Jesse Granger.
The netminder released the following statement:
From Marc-Andre Fleury. At this time, no comment about his future. pic.twitter.com/wpA8qi2n7f
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) July 28, 2021
The 36-year-old goaltender is under contract through next season at a $7-million cap hit, according to CapFriendly. Vegas isn't retaining any of Fleury's salary in the trade, reports ESPN's Emily Kaplan.
Fleury had one of his best seasons in 2021, posting a career-high .928 save percentage while going 26-10-0 with six shutouts over 36 games. He led all NHL netminders with 19.2 goals saved above expected at all strengths in 2021, and ranked fourth with an 11.74 GSAx at five-on-five, according to Evolving Hockey.
The 17-year veteran was one of the faces of the Golden Knights franchise, helping Vegas make an improbable run to the Stanley Cup Final in the club's inaugural season of 2017-18. He spent the last four campaigns with the Golden Knights after playing the previous 13 with the Pittsburgh Penguins, with whom he won three championships.