Will someone be able to convince Marc-Andre Fleury to play later on in the season?
The Chris Johnston Show: Chris Johnston when asked if it’s possible that goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury could consider returning later this season. Teams are likely to be interested later in the season. Will the itch be there for him to return?
** NHLRumors.com transcription
Julian McKenzie: “Is Marc-Andre Fleury, going to find his way on that list of available goaltenders next summer?”
Johnston: “Maybe on it. Like, I have to say, like, I’m so, it was so cool what happened over the weekend with him in Pittsburgh.”
McKenzie: “I think so too, man. That was awesome. I know some people were crazy about it. I liked it well.”
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Johnston: “And look at, I even saw Marc said himself. Look, I feel like I said goodbye to everyone 17 times. Like he’s even aware, te’s self-aware, to understand where some of that criticism might come from. But two things are, are going on there.
First of all, he’s a unique player in the history, in the sort of my years around the NHL, like he really is just a magnetic personality that connected with people, and he spent so much time with the Penguins, and obviously was part of the three teams that won the Cup. So, so he’s, he’s got a, he’s got an allure that makes that works, right? It’s a Saturday night preseason game for a team that could finish 29, 30, 31, 32, wherever, and it’s sold out because you got a goaltender coming in to play a third period of a preseason game. I mean, that…”
McKenzie: “Insane.”
Johnston: “It kind of, you know, I mean, it tells you something. But I also think, and I heard what he said after the game, you know, Josh Yohe, our colleague, was there, and he’s saying, ‘Oh, my hips are sore and I might not play.’
But I actually believe, for kind of, for the larger reasons we’re getting at here, that there will be more teams knocking on his door as the season goes along, especially maybe if injuries or other situations creep in. There’s not a lot of, as I’ve, I’ve highlighted, there’s not a lot of their options out there.
I don’t know if he’ll get to a point where he’s willing to say goodbye for an 18th or 19th or 20th time, if he’s willing to come back and do it all again. Because, you know, I think a big part of it, you know, he’s a family man, and I know he’s bought a nice place out in Minnesota, and has really got his family set up there after, you know, bounced around a lot after leaving Pittsburgh, right? He was Vegas, Chicago, you know, went to Minnesota.
So, you know, it’s, I can understand where he’s at a point where he, he has nothing left to prove, but the itch, the itch might be there. I mean, I’ll point out to you, didn’t let in a goal in that preseason game on Saturday night. Stopped all eight shots he faced in the in the period of work he had. And he was pretty good last year for the Wild. So, you know, also went to (inaudible), he played for Canada the World Championship in May.
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Like, I guess my point is, is this, there’s not really a lot of question that he can play, and I think there are teams that are going to need him. So can he be convinced to come back? That’s the question I don’t have an answer to, but I do think someone’s going to try, or, or multiple teams are going to try.”
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