3 sensible trades for the Minnesota Wild in a quest to accumulate some cap space
![Jan 15, 2024; Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Wild goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury (29) makes a Jan 15, 2024; Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Wild goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury (29) makes a](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_5943,h_3342,x_0,y_264/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/103/01hp81t8qxagyaqpnnjf.jpg)
Trading Marc-Andre Fleury gives the longtime goaltender a chance to win a final Cup
It has been a long, storied career for Marc-Andre Fleury, who we will remember as one of the best goaltenders of the early 21st century. Although the 39-year-old is in his career twilight, he’s still been a productive asset with a 2.95 GAA and an 0.897 save percentage.
No, these aren’t by any means impressive numbers, but considering how poorly the Wild have played, Fleury has made the most of his opportunities in the net. Therefore, a team looking for a veteran backup like the Colorado Avalanche would be a perfect landing spot for Fleury.
While Alexandar Georgiev is the clear-cut No. 1 in Denver, Ivan Prosvetov has been ineffective and found himself on waivers, while Justus Annunen has struggled in his first couple of games. Therefore, Fleury going to Denver in an attempt to win one last Stanley Cup works here, but it will also come down to the trade’s logistics.
The Avalanche, however, have a player in Ryan Johansen, who proved to be a horrible fit. Therefore in this scenario, they send the much-maligned center to the Wild along with a third-round pick in 2025 plus a second-rounder in 2026 for Fleury. This gives Colorado the ultimate rental in the net while Johansen can set his career back onto the right path.
feed
(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference as of February 9th, salary info provided by Cap-Friendly)