Blackhawks Trade For All-Star, Vezina-Winning Goaltender Fleury

Chicago IL

27 July, 2021

2:19 PM

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CHICAGO — Less than a week after the Chicago Blackhawks made a splash by trading for an All-Star defenseman in Seth Jones, the Hawks made another big addition on Tuesday when they announced they are adding a veteran All-Star goaltender. Marc-Andre Fluery was acquired from the Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for forward Mikael Hakkarainen, giving the Hawks the reigning Vezina Trophy winner who registered a career-best 1.98 goals against average this past season. Fleury, who has won three Stanley Cup titles during his career, was named the NHL's top goaltender this past season when he tallied a .928 saves percentage and six shutouts. The Blackhawks announced that Fleury will carry a $7 million salary cap hit for the upcoming season. "The opportunity to acquire a Vezina-winning goaltender is rare and one you cannot pass up," Blackhawks General Manager Stan Bowman said in a news release on Tuesday. "Marc-Andre improves our goaltending, strengthens our team defense and will have a huge impact on the overall development of the Blackhawks. "Having a goaltender like this on our team will put the talent we currently have on our roster in a better position to achieve sustained success. The entire organization is thrilled to have this future Hall of Famer on our team and his reputation of being an excellent teammate on and off the ice precedes him." In addition to his six shutouts, Fleury posted 26 victories this past season and combined with teammate Robin Lehner to allow the fewest goals in the NHL. In 36 starts for Vegas, Fleury allowed two goals or less in 25 games. At 36, Fleury brings 492 career victories to Chicago with him with 67 career shutouts and a career 2.53 goals against average. The five-time All-Star was the first overall pick of the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2003 and is the NHL's active leader in career regular-season victories, Stanley Cup playoff wins (90), regular-season games played (883), and postseason appearances (162). While Marc-Andre Fleury still hasn't heard from anybody with the Vegas Golden Knights, he has apparently been traded to Chicago. Marc-Andre will be taking time to discuss his situation with his family and seriously evaluate his hockey future at this time.— Allan Walsh (@walsha) July 27, 2021 However, published reports suggested that Fleury may consider retirement if he was ever dealt by the Golden Knights. The New York Post reported Tuesday that Fleury and his agent, Allan Walsh, learned about Tuesday's deal on Twitter and indicated that the Golden Knights never reached out to him. "While Marc-Andre Fleury still hasn't heard from anybody with the Vegas Golden Knights, he has apparently been traded to Chicago. Marc-Andre will be taking time to discuss his situation with his family and seriously evaluate his hockey future at this time," Walsh wrote on Twitter.