Marc-André Fleury is arguably the biggest winner at the NHL trade deadline. He has indeed gone from a rebuilding team, the Chicago Blackhawks, to a club with definite potential, the Minnesota Wild.
The Wild got their hands on the most notorious player available on Monday, a three-time Stanley Cup winner. The bold move boosts the Wild’s chances of making the playoffs and possibly having a long run there for the first time since making it to the Western Conference Finals in 2003.
The Wild gave up a conditional first-round pick in this year’s draft and the Blackhawks agreed to pay half of what’s left in the final year of Fleury’s three-year contract.
“It was a very open collaborative process and the Wild was obviously a very supportive place for him,” Hawks general manager Kyle Davidson said. I’m glad we were able to find a solution that worked for the Wild, for Marc-André and also for the Blackhawks. »
Fleury, 37, who went 19-21-1 with four shutouts in Chicago, won the Vezina Trophy as the league’s top goaltender with the Vegas Golden Knights just a year ago. . Fleury’s arrival allowed the Wild, with a very good offense, to trade Kaapo Kahkonen to the San Jose Sharks for a fifth-round pick, and offers another option in net than goaltender Cam Talbot.
other winners
Elsewhere on the Bettman circuit, other teams have taken advantage of recent trading, whether it was Monday, when 33 deals involving 54 players were completed, or in the days preceding it.
The New York Rangers, who failed to earn a playoff berth last season for the third time in four years, boosted their chances of postseason success for the first time since joining reached the Eastern Conference Finals in 2015.
They improved their defense by acquiring Justin Braun from the Philadelphia Flyers and added depth on offense with Tyler Motte from the Vancouver Canucks and Andrew Copp from the Winnipeg Jets. The Rangers gave up a total of five picks, including two conditional second-round selections to Winnipeg, as well as two minor league prospects.
I’m glad we were able to find a solution that worked for the Wild, for Marc-André and also for the Blackhawks
The Colorado Avalanche, who sit atop the NHL standings, refused to be complacent in their position and acquired forward Artturi Lehkonen from the Montreal Canadiens, effective at both ends of the ice. . The team also got forward Andrew Cogliano from the San Jose Sharks to add depth after solidifying the defense with the acquisition of defenseman Josh Manson from the Anaheim Ducks last week.
Winners find a way to improve, and the Tampa Bay Lightning seemed to do just that on Friday, signing 23-year-old forward Brandon Hagel — who scored 21 goals for a second straight season in Chicago — against a pair of first-round pick.
The Florida squad also added a touch of toughness with the arrival of forward Nick Paul, a six-foot-three, 225-pound colossus, from the Ottawa Senators in a bid to become the first team in the NHL to win three consecutive Stanley Cups since the New York Islanders won four in a row (1980 to 1983). “Everyone is trying to get that extra edge,” coach Jon Cooper summed up.
The neighbors, the Florida Panthers, who are ahead of their great rival the Lightning in the Atlantic Division, struck a blow on Saturday by acquiring star forward Claude Giroux from the Philadelphia Flyers, a few days after adding the solid defenseman Ben Chiarot of the Canadiens.
In contention with the Carolina Hurricanes and the Rangers to win the title of the Metropolitan Division, the Pittsburgh Penguins have added Rickard Rakell, a scorer of 16 goals, from the Ducks. His 154 goals in 550 games rank him fifth on the Ducks’ all-time list and his offensive contribution will come in handy in Pittsburgh.
With The Associated Press’ Stephen Whyno and John Wawrow and freelance journalist Denis Gorman