Marc-Andre Fleury and the Montreal Canadiens: a major trade proposal to finish his career back home
Marc-Andre Fleury is one of the best goaltenders of his generation, but it is no secret that his time in the league is coming to an end. The upcoming season may very well be his last in the league, and he could once again make history by surpassing Patrick Roy for the second spot among goalies in terms of victories.
Imagine witnessing him achieve this feat while wearing the Montreal Canadiens' uniform. Recently, the website HouseOfHockey went into this scenario and envisioned a mutually beneficial trade that would bring the renowned goalie to Quebec.
The idea behind this proposal is to offer the Wild a better way to utilize Fleury's $3.5 million salary for the next season. Knowing that the young Filip Gustavsson has surpassed the goalie in the hierarchy, why not try to make the most of their veteran goaltender?
Indeed, the Wild is struggling with their salary cap, especially due to the buyouts of contracts for Ryan Suter and Zach Parise, which still cost them nearly $14.74 million for two more seasons. Consequently, they cannot freely add a forward, something they could greatly use, while the Canadiens have a lot of them.
By sending Anderson, who makes $2 million more than Fleury, the Wild would secure a power forward at a fraction of the price when subtracting the veteran goaltender's $3.5 million salary. Additionally, including Primeau in the deal would give Minnesota a solid option as a backup goaltender at a fraction of the cost.
On the other side, the Canadiens not only free up salary cap space but also open up a spot in the lineup for Rafaël Harvey-Pinard, who, according to reports, might be excluded from the club's starting roster next October.
This trade between the Wild and the Canadiens would benefit both parties and provide Fleury with a memorable experience to end his career, playing for his hometown team.
Certainly, Kent Hughes would subsequently need to make a trade involving one of the two goaltenders on the team, either Jake Allen or Samuel Montembeault. The more likely candidate to be traded would be Allen, who had a challenging last season with the Canadiens but could be highly valuable for a team aspiring to win championships. This second trade would surely come with a contract extension for young Montembeault, as he will become an unrestricted free agent without compensation next summer.
| POLL | ||
Would you like to see Fleury play in Montreal before he retires? | ||
| Yes | 436 | 68.3 % |
| No | 202 | 31.7 % |
| List of polls | ||
