On Sunday, Vegas Knights goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury sat down in front of a ton of media all wanting to know what in the name of all that was golden the photo that his agent Allan Walsh tweeted was all about.
Knowing he would have to awkwardly try to explain why Walsh would post a graphic photo of a sword being stabbed through Fleury’s back with the coach’s name on it, Fleury did his best to diffuse the situation. Still, it’s clear that something is going on between the team and the player and the expectation is that this won’t end with Fleury in a Golden Knights uniform next season.
As he prepared to try to explain the seemingly inexplicable, Fleury noted the photo was removed from Twitter at his request and tried to justify Walsh’s action by saying, “he’s just trying to defend me a bit.”
Fleury went on to say that Walsh is simply passionate and is looking out of him, but what’s interesting here is that Walsh somehow believes Fleury needs defending.
At the end of the day, Robin Lehner has won the starting job in Vegas and for the playoffs with his play. He’s been the better goaltender and in professional sports, the better player is called upon by the coach. It’s not a situation that should need defending. And, considering Fleury’s history working with other goalies and competing for jobs on strong teams, it’s shocking that this has become such an issue.
Fleury went on to hint that there will be no consequences for Walsh posting such a distraction during the team’s playoff run, calling Walsh family.
Related: Agent Hints Fleury Has Been Stabbed in the Back By Golden Knights
What About Fleury and The Golden Knights?
What does this mean as far as Fleury’s future with the team goes? The answer is that things, at the very least, will be rockier than they already were.
Chris Johnston of Sportsnet suggested that Fleury feels he has been slighted by the Golden Knights after having not been given a fair shake in the round robin and opening round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. He wrote:
“I think this is representative of a little bit of tension around that goaltending situation. I do not think that Marc Andre Fleury feels he has had a fair shake while starting just 2 of the 8 games that Vegas has played.”
Of course, Fleury didn’t admit that. Instead, he hinted in his media avail that things are fine, but that the two sides will deal with where he is with this roster after the playoffs. Fleury noted, “I’ve known these guys for a little while now. I just want to put this behind and move on.” He added, “All I care about is winning and what’s best for the team and I think they know that.”
Fleury said he met with head coach Pete DeBoer and GM Kelly McCrimmon yesterday. “It was good to talk and see where we’re at.” He added again that he simply wants to win and said, “I don’t like being a distraction for my team.”
Walsh Should Pay For That Distraction
If you believe that Fleury didn’t know about the tweet — he refused to answer whether or not he did know prior to it going up — if anyone should have to pay for the distraction it’s Allan Walsh. Well known for making statements that don’t always reflect well upon his clients, the post he’s since removed was completely unprofessional, graphic and did nothing but cause chaos for about 24 hours.
Fleury says all is fine between he and the team but it’s easy to assume it will cause a riff between the coach and the player and it puts Walsh’s client — who he’s supposed to be working “for”, and not the other way around — in an awkward spot.
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