The man they call “Flower” is staying in the Twin Cities.
Minutes before the beginning of the 2022 NHL Draft, the Minnesota Wild took care of a crucial piece of business, agreeing to terms with goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury on a two-year contract extension worth an average annual value of $3.5 million.
The deal, which now ties Fleury to Minnesota through the 2024-25 season, includes a full no-move clause and takes the consensus top free-agent goaltender off the market before it even opens.
Fleury is coming off a somewhat mediocre season by his standards, finishing 2021-22 with a 28-23-5 record and four shutouts along with a .908 save percentage. His struggles, if you can even really call them that, were likely fuelled a great deal by the absolute debacle unfolding around him in the Blackhawks organization, with Fleury’s save percentage climbing to a .910 once he arrived in Minnesota.
The Wild are clearly hoping to see more of the Fleury from the second half of last season moving forward, giving the veteran netminder a contract with more term and trade protection than initially expected.
Goaltending is crucial to any contending team, and the Wild now have theirs locked up. What happens to Fleury’s counterpart from last season, Cam Talbot, who is under contract for 2022-23, remains to be seen.
