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Could Marc-Andre Fleury Return To The Penguins?

Mark Madden of TRIBLIVE.COM took a look at the chances of goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury returning to the Pittsburgh Penguins after the season.

According to Mark Madden of TRIBLIVE.COM, there’s speculation the Pittsburgh Penguins might be looking at bringing Marc-Andre Fleury back to the team, assuming the cards fall just the right way.

A goaltender the team never really wanted to get rid of but needed to for cap reasons and in connection to the expansion draft that included the Vegas Golden Knights, it is now the Knights who could potentially be moving on from Fleury. If they do, the Penguins might be looking to bring him back.

As the Golden Knights consider what it would take to re-sign Robin Lehner, it could mean trying to trade Fleury. But, Fleury’s salary being what it is ($7 million AAV), the Golden Knights might have trouble finding a trade partner. So too, at Fleury’s age (35), he’s not going to be high on the priority list for teams looking at long-term goaltending solutions.

If a trade isn’t there, buying out Fleury becomes an option Madden feels the Golden Knights might look at. Fleury would then become an unrestricted free agent and sign a cap-friendly deal with the Penguins.

What Are the Chances?

The Penguins are expected to trade Matt Murray in the coming weeks, so this idea behind bringing Fleury back is interesting. It’s unlikely, simply because it requires the Golden Knights to buy out Fleury, but it is possible. Remember, buy outs are typically the last option any team would like to pursue.

What seems more likely is that the Penguins will go with Tristan Jarry and Casey DeSmith as their tandem next season and hope Jarry has a strong start. If Fleury pops up, the Penguins will certainly look.

From there, it’s an interesting idea though and if Fleury becomes available in that way, as the Penguins would likely be near the top of his list of places he’d look at.

Keep in mind, a lot of what happens with Fleury will be dependent on how Lehner performs the rest of the way in this year’s Golden Knights playoff run.

Next: Are the Montreal Canadiens Looking at Taylor Hall?

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