Marc-Andre Fleury is returning to the Minnesota Wild, on a two-year, $7 million contract extension announced by the club on Thursday.
The 37-year-old Fleury is signed through the 2023-24 season. His new deal also includes a full no-movement clause.
Minnesota acquired Fleury at last March’s trade deadline from Chicago for a second-round draft pick. Fleury was part of a 1-2 tandem with Wild incumbent Cam Talbot and went 9-2-0 with a .910 save percentage and 2.74 goals-against average to finish out the regular season with Minnesota. Fleury was tapped as the team’s postseason starter and posted a 2-3-0 record with .906 save percentage and 3.04 goals-against average in the Wild’s first-round loss to St. louis
That was Fleury’s 16th consecutive trip to the NHL playoffs, most in league history by any goaltender. The 2021 Vezina Trophy winner is also a three-time Stanley Cup champion – in 2009, 2016 and 2017 – from his 12-year tenure with Pittsburgh.
The Wild were front-runners to retain Fleury’s services after last season but the netminder was looking for more than just a one-year pact. He has a long-standing relationship with Wild general manager Bill Guerin, which helped Fleury in deciding to waive his no-movement clause last March and facilitate the trade from Chicago. Minnesota is facing a cap crunch over the next few seasons, but Guerin was ultimately able to satisfy Fleury on term and dollar to keep him in the fold.
That solidifies Minnesota’s goaltending situation for the moment, if not long into the future. Talbot is entering the final year of his deal and will become an unrestricted free agent in July 2023.
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