Said player is none other than legendary goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury. The 39-year-old is in the final year of his contract and with the Wild struggling, it seemed as though he would be traded to a contender for sure. However, NHL insider Elliotte Friedman just confirmed today that the team does not intend to trade him.
The Wild have been a bubble playoff team for most of the season. However, they have spent most of that time on the wrong side of the bubble, looking into the playoffs from the outside. That being said, the team is 7-2-1 over their last ten games, giving fans hope that they could make one last push for a wild card spot.
The Team's offense has been buzzing, generating nearly five goals per game over their past five games.
This includes a ten goal performance against the Vancouver Canucks, a game in which they scored seven times in the 3rd period.
Fleury has also been very good recently. Over his last five starts, he is 4-1-0 with a 2.00 goals against average, including a shutout against the New York Islanders.
The Wild are currently six points behind the wild card spots in the western conference. The Predators and Kings hold the spots, both with 68 points. The Wild do have one game in hand on Nashville, making their path to that spot just a little bit easier. The team will likely need to continue their current level of play for most of the rest of the season, but it is certainly possible. If anyone can handle that assignment, it is Marc-Andre Fleury.
POLL | ||
Do you think the Wild are making a mistake by not trading Fleury? | ||
Yes | 338 | 37.8 % |
No | 248 | 27.7 % |
Let Fleury choose what he wants to do | 309 | 34.5 % |
List of polls |