A future NHL Hall-of-Famer, who is arguably the most popular person in the Wild's locker room, is pushing back retirement to play for at least one more year.
The Wild announced Wednesday that goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury has agreed to a one-year, $2.5 million extension to stay with the club through the 2024-25 season. The 39-year-old will be in green and white for his 21st NHL campaign and will turn 40 about a month after the season begins.
Many had speculated about Fleury retiring after a frustrating season in which Minnesota failed to make the playoffs. But his play showed that the legendary goalie still has both the skill and the desire to compete. He finished with a record of 17-13-5, with a 2.98 goals-against average and a save percentage of .895, playing behind an injury-depleted squad. After a tough start to the season, Fleury played much better down the stretch.
The Wild acquired Fleury two years ago in a deadline-day trade with Chicago, and he’s 50-32-9 with a 2.89 goals against average and a .903 save percentage in 96 appearances with 91 starts in that time. This will be the first time in 18 years — since he was a 21-year-old with Pittsburgh — that The Flower won't make the playoffs.
“It’s about winning, and it’s disappointing to miss playoffs," Fleury said. "That’s the one thing that’s top of my mind first about this year.”
Fleury landed in Minnesota after stints in Pittsburgh, Las Vegas, and Chicago. He played his 1,000th career game while wearing a Wild uniform on Dec. 31, 2023.
Over his entire career, the man known as The Flower has posted a 561-329-96 record with a 2.60 goals-against average (GAA), a .912 save percentage (SV%) and 75 shutouts. He ranks first all-time among NHL goaltenders in shootout wins (65), second in wins, third in saves (26,563), fourth in games played and minutes played (59,220:38) and is the NHL’s active leader in all five categories.
The signing will make plenty of skaters in the Wild locker room happy, as he is a popular teammate known for his sage advice, unyielding support and ability to pull off epic pranks. But retaining Fleury also raises serious questions about the Wild's plans for the goal crease in 2024-25. The Wild's presumed goaltender of the future, Jesper Wallstedt, is considered ready for the NHL after two years playing for the club's AHL affiliate. Filip Gustavsson, who signed a big-buck extension following a breakthrough season in 2022-23, fell off precipitously and had his work habits publicly questioned by coach John Hynes and goaltending coach Freddie Chabot.
There has been speculation that the Wild would try to convince Fleury to stick around for one more year to mentor Wallstedt and ease his transition to the NHL. That scenario has now come to fruition, meaning Gustavsson could be dealt in the offseason.
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