5 Goalies That Can Save New Jersey Devils Next Season
By Nick Villano
Marc-Andre Fleury
This one will be hard to pull off since Marc-Andre Fleury almost retired this offseason after he was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks. He was eventually convinced to return, but it was likely the wrong decision. The Blackhawks are a mess, they had to face the music for their 2010 issues, and on the ice, things have gone terribly.
Fleury is going to get traded at the deadline. There are very few guarantees when it comes to the deadline, but this seems as close to one as any. He isn’t exactly thrilled to be playing in Chicago, a contender will want him, and there are plenty of talented teams that need a goalie. The Devils are one of them, but there’s no point in sending an asset for Fleury now.
Maybe a run in the postseason invigorates Fleury. It would likely lead to Fleury wanting to go to a guaranteed contender, of which the Devils are not, but it could also lead Fleury to breed new life into his career. We saw it happen when he was traded to Vegas, maybe it could happen in another city.
The Devils could try to convince Fleury they want to be a playoff team, and a goalie is all that’s keeping them from getting there. Would that be enough to convince Fleury to stick to the NHL one more season and to do it in New Jersey? And how much would it cost to convince him to play another year? Do the Devils have $5-7 million to make him an offer he can’t refuse?