Minnesota goes Wild as they land goalie Marc-Andre Fleury at NHL Trade Deadline
Anthony Scultore
|
The Minnesota Wild have made the big splash of NHL Trade Deadline Day as they’ve acquired goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury. He was #2 on the trade bait list today.
In exchange, the Wild will send a conditional first-round draft pick back to the Chicago Blackhawks. According to Michael Russo, it is a second-round pick that becomes a first if Minnesota wins two rounds and Fleury wins at least 4 games in those rounds.
Goalie Kaapo Kahkonen was traded to the San Jose Sharks to make room for Fleury. In return, the Wild get big defenseman Jacob Middleton.
Marc-Andre Fleury headed to Minnesota
Fleury, 37, will be a UFA this summer and was a valuable trade chip for Chicago to bring in younger assets for the future. This season he is 19-21-5 with a .908 SV% and a GAA of 2.95.
There was talk that Fleury was considering staying with the Blackhawks for the remainder of the season but it’s likely his prior relationship with Wild GM Bill Guerin played a role. They were teammates together in Pittsburgh.
“I would love a chance to win,” Fleury said in February. “That’s what I play for and that’s what I love. But like I said, it’s still a big if at this point.”
