What should the Golden Knights do with Fleury?

What should the Golden Knights do with Fleury?
June 14, 2017, 11:08 AM ET [28 Comments]
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It is all but certain the Vegas Golden Knights will select Marc-Andre Fleury in the expansion draft.

In this edition of the hotstove we discuss whether the Knights should keep him as their starter or flip him for assets to a team in need of a goaltender.

Todd Cordell

It all depends what teams are willing to give but I think trading Fleury is the logical decision.

He is coming off a strong post-season where he really opened some eyes and re-established his value. I think his trade value is higher now than it would be after a year playing behind what will probably be a sub-par Vegas team.

A 32-year-old coming off a Cup victory, in which he contributed quite a bit, is a lot more appealing than a 33-year-old would be coming off a likely mediocre season.

As such, I think trading him now makes more sense than keeping him around. Vegas should have no shortage of goalie talent following the expansion draft, anyway.

Ryan Wilson

I think that Vegas should let the market dictate what they do with Marc-Andre Fleury. If they can get legitimate asset(s)s in exchange for him it is something they should pursue. They are a team starting from scratch and legitimate future assets should be more valuable to them at this juncture than a 32-year-old goalie. They won't be short goaltending options at the expansion draft.

If the marketplace is blah for Fleury then they have a lovable face of the franchise who should give them league average goaltending give or take.

James Tanner

I think Fleury is a decent pick for them. He's an average goalie with too high of a salary - which is exactly what they need.

The salary helps them get to the cap floor, and the unexceptional goalie ensures they keep drafting high.

Can't really go wrong for Vegas with this pick.

Adam French

I would keep him. I doubt you get anything greater than a 2nd round pick for Fleury, so it isn't even worth it. Goalies never get what they are worth in trades and Fleury isn't even in the top echelon of that market to start with. Keep him, then trade him next deadline when the inevitable pretender trying to contend needs a goalie and counts the rings on his fingers.

Start the season with Fleury as your starter and a younger backup that you hope to be the goalie of the future. Be it Grubauer, Lehner/Ullmark, Pickard or whomever.

I don't subscribe to this weird notion that Fleury "puts butts in seats" nonsense I've seen bandied about. I do however subscribe to the notion that quality goaltending can mask a weak team. Vegas will be a weak team. Probably not the weakest team ever assembled and probably not as weak as some people think. They will be weak though. Fleury can help that...or hinder it. In all honesty, Fleury is an inconsistent goaltender and has shown brilliance and misery in front of terrible and amazing teams.