(670 The Score) The Blackhawks have traded veteran goalie Marc-Andre Fleury to the Minnesota Wild for a high draft pick, the team announced Monday.
Chicago will receive a 2022 second-round pick from Minnesota that could turn into a first-round pick depending on how the playoffs unfold. If the Wild reach the Western Conference Final and Fleury registers four wins or more in the first two rounds combined, the pick will become a first-rounder instead of a second-rounder.
Fleury, 37, is 19-21 with a 2.95 goals against average and .908 save percentage this season. He’ll join a Wild team that currently holds the third playoff berth in the Central Division and which has the fourth-most points in the Western Conference entering Monday.
Meanwhile, Fleury’s exit is another logical step forward as the Blackhawks have started a rebuild under first-year general manager Kyle Davidson. Last Friday, Chicago traded talented 23-year-old forward Brandon Hagel to Tampa Bay in exchange for a pair of first-round picks.
“This trade immediately puts us in a better position at the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, giving us a pick that will land early in the draft,” Davidson said in a statement. “We are in a better position today at the upcoming draft than we were yesterday. In a short time with the Blackhawks, Marc-Andre made quite an impression on our fan base and in our locker room. We appreciate his willingness to work with us on finding a deal that worked for everyone. The Blackhawks wish him and his family the best in Minnesota.”