(670 The Score) The Blackhawks on Tuesday morning made another big splash on the trade market -- but they're holding out hope the new addition wants to play for them.
Chicago acquired star goalie Marc-Andre Fleury in a trade with the Vegas Golden Knights, the team announced. If Fleury continues his career, his addition is a massive step toward competing at a higher level for the Blackhawks, as he’s the reigning Vezina Trophy winner as the NHL’s best goalie.
From the Blackhawks' perspective, the worry is that the 36-year-old Fleury isn't sure if he wants to continue playing. He's "taking time to discuss his situation with his family and seriously evaluate his hockey future at this time," agent Allan Walsh tweeted. Fleury didn't want to play for any team other than Vegas, the Associated Press reported.
Fleury, 36, had a 1.98 goals against average and .928 save percentage in 36 games last season. He’s a five-time All-Star with a .913 save percentage in his 17-year NHL career. He's also a three-time Stanley Cup champion.
"The opportunity to acquire a Vezina-winning goaltender is rare and one you cannot pass up,” Blackhawks president of hockey operations Stan Bowman said in a statement. “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.”
The deal is more or less a salary dump from Vegas’ perspective, as it won’t retain any of his $7-million salary that he's owed in the 2021-'22 season, according to reports. In return, the Blackhawks will trade minor league forward Mikael Hakkarainen to the Golden Knights. He didn’t register a point in six games at AHL Rockford last season and had one point in six games for the ECHL Indy Fuel.
Fleury's addition was Chicago's second big trade in the past five days. Last Friday, the Blackhawks acquired four-time All-Star defenseman Seth Jones from the Blue Jackets. The sides also agreed on an eight-year contract extension.
If Fleury and his accompanying salary are in the Blackhawks' picture for next season, the team will need to make other cost-cutting moves to get under the salary cap.