Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury still hasn’t asked to be traded, but things could change in the days leading up to the NHL trade deadline, says general manager Jim Rutherford.
“We talk in generalities about different situations and that’s really as far as we’ve gotten. I would suspect by the time Monday comes or Tuesday comes, he may be more direct in exactly what he wants,” Rutherford told the Hockey Central at Noon panel Friday on Sportsnet 590 The FAN. “We’ll work with him as to what makes sense for both him and the Penguins.”
The deadline to complete trades is 3 p.m. ET Wednesday.
Fleury has largely occupied a backup role this season to Matt Murray, who led the Penguins to a Stanley Cup victory last year and has continued his strong play in the 2016-17 campaign. Murray missed time this season with hand and lower-body injuries, but is healthy and dominating now. The 22-year-old sports a 22-7 record with a 2.27 goals-against average and .926 save percentage, compared to Fleury’s 15-7 mark, 3.16 goals against and .906 save percentage.
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“If we have both of them for the whole season, I’m more than fine with that,” said Rutherford. “I said that from the start of training camp. You can never have enough depth at any position.”
The general manager says he has the “utmost respect” for Fleury, 32, and is happy with the way the veteran netminder has navigated through the ordeal.
“I think they key thing in this situation is how long can Fleury go and be patient? He’s a guy who’s used to playing. He got through it last year, he was a great pro and he handled it very well. He’s handled it well up to this point. But he’s told me — we talk periodically — he wants to play.
“Fleury is a very good goalie,” Rutherford added. “A very good pro and he can help Pittsburgh or any team he may play on.”
The Penguins will only be able to protect one of their goalies in the upcoming expansion draft, meaning they could lose the other to the Las Vegas Golden Knights. Rutherford said that’s not a concern at the moment.
“I don’t have any of those issues right now.”
