NHL Rumors: Marc-Andre Fleury Could End Up A Washington Capital

Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet dropped a bomb on Tuesday night as one of hockey's best insiders released his latest 32 Thoughts and sure enough linked Marc-Andre Fleury to the Washington Capitals:

We should prepare ourselves for the possibility of Marc-Andre Fleury, Washington Capital. At the very least, the Capitals are looking into it.

Imagine when they meet the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Stanley Cup playoffs? Ok, let's not get ahead of ourselves just yet, but when it's announced as a possibility the chances certainly increase of Fleury being moved. The Capitals have been trying to upgrade in net for most of the season as they apparently aren't thrilled with their depth. We all saw what happened last postseason and Alex Ovechkin and company won't accept another type of performance from their netminders.

Blackhawks Will Keep Goaltender in the Loop

The two things to consider in any Fleury deal is his $7 million salary and most importantly his willingness to be traded. Belief is the team is going to keep him heavily involved in all talks and rightfully so given his resume and everything that's gone on this past year.

Since Nov. 7, Marc-Andre Fleury has a 2.10 GAA and .930 SV%. He’s the #2 ranked goalie in Goals Saved Above Average over that time. He’s arguably the best goalie in the NHL over the last 2.5 months. #DrydenPose29 #Flower 🌸 pic.twitter.com/CCnf2O9E9G
— Allan Walsh (@walsha) January 18, 2022

Everyone had the Chicago Blackhawks as a playoff team and it just hasn't worked out that way this season for a number of reasons. Fleury's game was shaky to start the year but he's been outstanding these past few weeks. In 29 appearances he's posted a 2.76 goals against average and a .913 save percentage. The Blackhawks are seven points out of the playoff picture and if they don't get hot over these next couple of weeks the trade chatter will pick up even more. Perhaps Fleury gets moved long before the Mar.21 deadline and gets some extra time to get settled into his new accommodations.

Besides the Capitals, the Colorado Avalanche, Edmonton Oilers, and very briefly the Pittsburgh Penguins have all been linked to the veteran netminder at some point and time this season. These next few weeks will tell the story of how things will shape out in Chicago. Keep an eye on the Blackhawks, they could be making some major headlines in the near future.

Photo credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports