Marc-Andre Fleury is clear about his future
On the eve of his last year of contract with the Vegas Golden Knights, Marc-Andre Fleury sent a message to the management of the Nevada team a few hours after their elimination against the Montreal Canadiens on June 24.
Asked if he will retire after the next campaign and what awaits him after the 2021-2022 season, Marc-André Fleury was frank with reporters and took the opportunity to address Kelly McCrimmon, the team's general manager.
The goaltender wants to finish his career in Las Vegas. This means that he wants to sign a contract extension with the Vegas Golden Knights to continue his career in Nevada or he intends to retire at the end of the next season.
Based on his recent performances in 2021, retirement does not seem to be close for the 36-year-old Quebec native. He has been named one of three candidates for the Vézina Trophy, an award given to the best goaltender of the regular season. He is in the running with Philip Grubauer (Colorado Avalanche) and Andreï Vasilevsky (Tampa Bay Lightning).
The first overall pick in the 2003 Amateur Draft has a 26-10-0 record with a .928 save percentage and a 1.98 goals-against-average and has recorded six shutouts against opponents this year. He is the favorite to win the award and it would be well deserved. Although he lost the net to the Montreal Canadiens, at the expense of teammate Robin Lehner, Peter DeBoer's man of choice proved to be the Quebecer in Game 5.
In this game that made the difference, Marc-Andre Fleury gave a great performance, but his team was no match for the Tricolore. As for Robin Lehner, he was very impressive in the fourth game, allowing only one goal to Dominique Ducharme and Luke Richardson's men. He also did well in the sixth duel, but was foiled by a perfect shot from Finland's Artturi Lehkonen in overtime, which ended the debate.
His backup Robin Lehner signed a five-year contract before the final campaign, meaning he has four years left on an average salary of $5M per season. It would be surprising if Kelly McCrimmon wants to reserve $12 million on his payroll in front of the net. He may want to add some talent to the offense. The Golden Knights' big guns have been muzzled by the CH's defensemen and goalie.
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