Pittsburgh Penguins likely won’t extend Marc Andre Fleury this season
By Cory Buck
The Pittsburgh Penguins went through a small re-tooling of their roster after a disappointing finish in the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. The team traded sniper James Neal and added blue liner Christian Ehrhoff in an effort to make the team deeper and more defensively sound. One thing they didn’t do was address the contract situation of their starting goaltender, Marc Andre Fleury, whose deal expires after the upcoming NHL season.
More from NHL
- NHL Rumors: Legendary Patrice Bergeron retires, which 3 players could be next to hang up their skates?
- NHL Rumors: Latest on Hart, Hellebuyck, Gibson trade possibilities
- NHL Rumors: 5 forwards most likely to sign early extensions this summer
- NHL Rumors: Where things stand with Erik Karlsson, Penguins and Hurricanes
- NHL Rumors: Penguins nearly traded for Erik Karlsson at deadline
ESPN’s Katie Strang writes of Fleury’s situation, “[Pens GM Jim] Rutherford said it was not an immediate priority to re-sign the 29-year-old netminder, who is heading into the last year of a seven-year, $35 million deal. His agent, Allan Walsh, told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review that he had no problem with that, saying the decision was ‘of no consequence at all.'”
It’s still hard to imagine that the contract situation won’t weigh on the former first overall pick. Fleury’s former teammate, retired goaltender Brent Johnson, told Strang it’s a tough situation, but that Fleury would handle it with class.
“I believe, if that were me, I’d probably take it worse than Marc [has],” Johnson said. “It could weigh on your mind. I’m not saying it will, but it could.”
Johnson continued, “His character is unbelievable. He’s a guy that wants to do all his talking on the ice. Every team wants a guy like that. He’s a lead-behind-the-scenes type guy.”
We’ll see how the talks affect Fleury, who returned to form in last year’s playoffs after two straight disastrous efforts. If he and the Penguins can put those playoffs woes behind them this season, it’s hard to imagine Fleury signing with anyone else.