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We know who everyone will root for when Fleury plays Vegas

July 27, 2021, 7:06 PM ET [5 Comments]
Kevin Allen
Blogger •HHOF Writer's column on the NHL • RSSArchiveCONTACT
Alex Ovechkin committed to playing in the NHL beyond his 40th birthday. A Stanley Cup-winning goalie was bought out. One of the NHL’s better power play point men signed for rookie money. And this year’s Vezina Trophy winner was traded for next-to-nothing.

That bizarre combination of facts is a fitting cap for what has truly been a remarkably strange Covid-influenced 2020-21 season.

As if the Golden Knights’ trading of Marc-Andre Fleury for Mikael Hakkarainen wasn’t unusual enough, his agent, Allan Walsh, revealed that Fleury learned about the trade on Twitter.

Fleury, one of the NHL’s classiest players, gets the rudest of send-offs.

From the beginning, Fleury was the face of the Golden Knights. He played a major role in helping that franchise become a major success. On the ice, he was vital to their march to the Stanley Cup Final. Off the ice, he has been the team’s most popular player.

From the day he entered the NHL, he has been known for his charming personality. He’s just a nice man, impossible to dislike.

He always puts a positive spin on everything, even last season when the Golden Knights signed Robin Lehner to a lengthy contract, making it clear that they no longer needed Fleury.

But this was at the start of Covid playing havoc with NHL revenue streams, and it was difficult to move Fleury, especially when he had a modified no-trade clause.

Fleury had every right to embrace the nuclear option against Vegas, to express his disappointment for how the Golden Knights handled this. But of course he didn’t. He said he was still happy to be a Golden Knight. Anyone who believed he would turn over the net doesn’t understand his competitive nature.

Not only did he play well, he played well enough to win the Vezina Trophy as the NHL’s best goalie in 2021-22.

The Golden Knights were criticized for how they handled their goaltending soap opera last summer, but they might have received a free pass this summer had they handled things properly with Fleury.

Dealing with the flat cap situation, many teams are dealing with challenging roster decisions. That’s why the Vancouver Canucks bought out Braden Holtby, three years after he won a Stanley Cup. That’s why Keith Yandle was bought out by Florida and then signed with Philadelphia for under $1 million.

Fleury is 36 and making $7 million. We could have bought that the Golden Knights needed to do this, but not when they treat him poorly.

When you talked to people around the NHL today, the first question was: “What is going on with the Golden Knights?”

They know what they are doing on the ice and selling tickets, but they have been short on class in dealing with personnel.

It’s impossible not to root for Fleury to have a memorable season in Chicago. Let’s not lose sight of the fact that this is a big win for the Blackhawks. With Seth Jones now aboard and Jonathan Toews coming back, this team could be competitive, particularly if Fleury plays like he did this season.

This Fleury trade might be enough to push the Blackhawks into the playoffs.

The one issue the Blackhawks might have is that there is rumbling that Fleury might choose retirement over uprooting his family. All his agent said on Twitter is Fleury wants to think about it. Maybe he will be fine with playing in Chicago.

But If Fleury says he doesn’t want to play in Chicago, let’s hope the Blackhawks give him the option of going out and making his own deal to keep playing. As long as the new team pays Fleury’s salary, the Blackhawks should sign off. But my guess is he will play in Chicago because that's the kind of guy he is.

Given how Fleury has carried himself through the years, he deserves to finish his career any way he wants to finish it.

That’s what the Golden Knights should have said to him before the trade.
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