February 26, 2024 | 9:25am ET
TheFourthPeriod.com
FLEURY WANTS TO STAY IN MINNESOTA
Marc-Andre Fleury, goaltender
With the Minnesota Wild smack in the playoff race in the Western Conference, currently sitting four points back of the final wildcard sport, the likelihood of them trading goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury has diminished.
Fleury, who is in the final year of his contract, may have doubled up on “diminished” and flat out squashed any chance of the Wild moving him.
In an interview with Joe Smith of The Athletic over the weekend, Fleury indicated he has no plans on changing teams ahead of the March 8 trade deadline.
“If we were last in the conference, maybe it’d be a little bit different,” Fleury, who owns a full no-movement clause, said. “But this is my team. We’ve been battling together, right? I take pride in winning with this team. I want us to make the playoffs. That’s my first priority. I think being in the hunt, it’s fun, it’s challenging. And I want to be here and see this team make the playoffs.”
There was speculation over Fleury’s future with the Wild earlier this month, with teams like the New Jersey Devils and Colorado Avalanche suggested as possible suitors, but it seems clear Wild GM Bill Guerin will not be looking to move the future Hall of Fame netminder this season.
Fleury, 39, has posted a 12-10-3 record in 28 games with the Wild this season, along with a 2.92 goals-against-average, a .899 save percentage and one shutout, to date.