Matt Murray will make his eighth straight start for the Penguins tonight, relegating Marc-Andre Fleury to the backup gig yet again.
Fleury hasn’t received a start in nearly three weeks. And, with the NHL’s trade deadline just under a month away, Pens GM Jim Rutherford was asked how he’d handle the situation.
His response? Keep checking in with Flower.
“The one thing I’ll have to watch for and keep the lines of communication open with the player is, is he OK with the situation that he’s in?” Rutherford said, per the Tribune-Review. “Going back to last year and to this point in time, he has handled it like a true pro. No issues at all. It may play out that we may be able to go right through having two top goalies on our team.
“We just have to keep an eye on what direction Marc wants to go here in the next few weeks.”
It’s been a difficult year for Fleury. His playing time has been erratic and, as a result, his numbers don’t show well -- 3.23 GAA, and .904 save percentage. That said, he has shown stretches befitting a No. 1 netminder, like in December when he went an impressive 7-1-1 with a .924 save percentage.
That stretch, of course, coincided with Murray being shelved with a hand injury. Now that he’s back, Fleury’s on the outside looking in.
Rutherford has a dicey situation on his hands. While he’d no doubt like to keep Fleury in the fold -- he’d be good insurance should Murray get hurt in the playoffs, or falter -- he also sounds like he wants to do right by the 32-year-old.
Fleury’s not getting any younger, and there are teams out there that are in definite need of goaltending help. But the issues are complex -- would any of those teams be willing to take on Fleury’s deal, which pays $5.75 million annually and doesn’t expire until 2019?
If yes, are they willing to make the trade in season -- as opposed to this summer?