As Marc-Andre Fleury has been alluding for weeks, it would be Minnesota Wild or retirement — and he sure sounded like he was not ready to hang up his mask and goalie pads for good.
On Wednesday, the Wild announced Fleury will return next season and signed a one-year, $2.5 million extension, one day before his anticipated final start of this season. The contract carries a full no-move clause.
Earlier this season, Fleury, 39, passed Patrick Roy, his childhood idol, for the second-most regular-season victories in NHL history and became the fourth goalie in NHL history to appear in 1,000 games.
Fleury said next year, his 21st in the NHL, will indeed be his last.
“I’m grateful,” Fleury said. “I’m grateful to keep doing what I love for one more season. I thought about it a lot this year, but still loving to compete, the intensity, the pursuit to be in the best league in the world also, (to) and compete with young guys. I feel very lucky to be able to do it.”
Grateful to have you 🥹#mnwild pic.twitter.com/1h5rz9ICeG
— Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) April 17, 2024
“It was too soon for him to retire,” Minnesota general manager Bill Guerin said.
Guerin said he met with Fleury’s agent, Allan Walsh, in Arizona in March. Fleury was “50-50” then regarding retirement. A few weeks later Walsh called Guerin and told him Fleury was in and wanted to return.
In 20 seasons with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Vegas Golden Knights, Chicago Blackhawks and Wild, the 2003 No. 1 pick has played 1,024 games (863 starts), posting a 561-329-96 record with a 2.60 goals-against average, .912 save percentage and 75 shutouts.
Fleury 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.
On Dec. 31 against the Winnipeg Jets, Fleury joined Martin Brodeur (1,266 games), Roberto Luongo (1,044 games) and Roy (1,029 games) as the only netminders in NHL history to play 1,000 games. His 552nd career win to pass Roy came in a 5-0 victory over the New York Islanders on Jan. 15.
Fleury, a three-time Stanley Cup champion, is 92-74 in 169 career playoff games with a 2.56 goals-against average, .911 save percentage and 16 shutouts. He ranks third all-time among NHL goaltenders in playoff games played, minutes played (10,182:20) and saves made (4,440), and he’s tied for third in victories and fourth in shutouts.
This season he’s 17-14-5 with a 2.98 goals-against average and .895 save percentage, but from Jan. 13 to March 16, he was 9-2-1 in 14 appearances with a 1.92 goals-against average and .928 save percentage.
How his return impacts Minnesota’s roster
It will be interesting to see what this means for Minnesota goaltending heading into the summer.
The team already has Filip Gustavsson under contract for the next two years. Top prospect Jesper Wallstedt got an extended look down the stretch, winning two of three starts this season, and believes he’s a lot more ready to make the NHL next season after two full seasons at AHL Iowa.
There’s a chance the Wild could dangle Gustavsson, who had a disappointing step back after last year’s breakout, on the trade market this offseason. Or they can roll with the same Gustavsson-Fleury tandem, which might not spark a lot of optimism as goaltending was one of the biggest culprits in Minnesota missing the playoffs this season.
Wallstedt has said how much Fleury mentoring him could mean, but are the Wild ready to give net to a rookie and Fleury, who turns 40 in November?
For a team with few roster spots up for grabs next season, goaltending will be the most intriguing topic this offseason.
“It puts us in a position of strength,” Guerin said of having three quality goaltenders. “We’ve got three good goalies in the organization. We’ve shown that Jesper has definitely improved. I haven’t made decisions on anything moving forward. When you have an opportunity to keep a Marc-Andre Fleury in your organization and keep him playing, you do it, and we’ll figure the other stuff out.
“There’s no rush (with Wallstedt). The worst thing you can do is try to force somebody in. I’m not saying we’re going to try to force Wally in more or keep him down in Iowa for another year, we’ll make those decisions as we go.”
More recognition for Fleury
Minnesota also announced Wednesday that Fleury was named the recipient of the Tom Kurvers Humanitarian Award. He has been nominated for the 2024 King Clancy Memorial Trophy, which is given to the NHL player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution to his community.
Fleury will be honored before his start Thursday in the team’s final game against the Seattle Kraken.
Required reading
(Photo: Christian Petersen / Getty Images)
