Why Marc-Andre Fleury's name is suddenly back in play, and why it matters in Toronto
Photo credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
According to Pierre LeBrun, Marc-Andre Fleury's name has popped up for teams who need goalie help and with a new update in Toronto, they could see if he's available.
One of the greatest goalies of all-time, Marc-Andre Fleury has carved out a legacy that was capped off this past preseason when he signed with the Pittsburgh Penguins in order to play one last game with the club before retiring.
He's still more than capable of handling NHL duties, but with already such a strong career behind him, it was time to move and relax; a well-deserved end to an incredible two decades of hockey.
Marc-Andre Fleury retirement could be very short-lived
But according to Pierre LeBrun, it might not be the end of the line for the future Hall of Fame goaltender and with several teams looking for goalie help, his name has resurfaced as someone who could potentially come out of retirement.
LeBrun explained that several teams have reached out to Fleury and his camp to see if they can coax him out of retirement though he's not entirely sure if the goalie would entertain that decision:
Several teams have reached out of late to see if Marc-Andre Fleury would be inclined to come out of retirement. I'm not sure how likely it is to happen, but the fact that teams have reached out is interesting in itself.
It would be an incredible bit of news to hear Fleury come out of retirement though it's not uncommon, and with the recent news that Phillip Rivers signed in the NFL after several years away; there's a precedent in modern pro sports for him to return.
Why it matters for Toronto to keep their ears open regarding Fleury's return
But it's important to note that with the news that Anthony Stolarz is going to be out for an indefinite amount of time, and the team not willing to wave the white flag they are going to need a better goaltender than Dennis Hildeby.
Not to say that he's bad, but to have Fleury come in and give you 12-15 starts for the rest of the season in order to give Joseph Woll a break would be a huge asset, and you're not asking him to carry the entire team but be good enough to keep them in the race.
Then when it comes to playoff time, if he's hot then the team needs to use him as long as they can as he could be their answer to sticking around in the postseason for more than a few games.
His playoff record is outstanding at 92-75-0 with a 2.56 GAA and .911 SV% with three Stanley Cups, but it's his regular season numbers that are incredible.
In 1,051 games played he is 575-339-97 with a 2.60 GAA and .912 SV% while spending 13 years in Pittsburgh before heading to Vegas, Minnesota and Chicago; he ranks second in all-time games played, wins, third in all-time saves (27,188) and is 13th all-time with 76 shutouts.
So while it's a long shot that Fleury is going to come out of retirement, if he does choose to do so then the Maple Leafs need to be one of the first teams to call him, and if they are actually serious about making the playoffs?
They should do whatever it takes to sign him. This isn't your average goaltender. This is Marc-Andre Fleury.
| POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 27 | 1631 ANSWERS Why Marc-Andre Fleury's name is suddenly back in play, and why it matters in Toronto Do you think Toronto should sign Marc-Andre Fleury if he comes back to the NHL? | ||
| Yes | 625 | 38.3 % |
| No | 1006 | 61.7 % |
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