Vegas Golden Knights’ GM Kelly McCrimmon indicated on Monday that goaltender Robin Lehner has an “upper-body” injury. The injury is believed to be serious enough that it will eventually require surgery and there are questions about whether or not Lehner can be relied upon down the stretch as the Golden Knights try to maintain their hold on the top spot in the Pacific Division. Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff writes, “He may be able to battle through to finish this season, though that much is not certain.”
Related: Did Tyler Toffoli Deal Set The Trade Price For J.T. Miller?
As such, speculation is out there this week that the Golden Knights might be interested in bringing back a familiar face. Seravalli writes, “Team sources say the Golden Knights have expressed interest in a potential reunion with goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury.”
As strange as that sounds considering the team dumped Fleury this offseason for no return, that they would be interested in spending assets to bring him back is intriguing. Where they would get the salary cap space from is also a bit of a head-scratcher. But, Seravalli also notes that he is not the only goaltender on their list.
Seravalli writes:
“Per sources, the Golden Knights have also expressed interest in New York Rangers backup Alexandar Georgiev, who we previously reported let it be known that Georgiev feels he’s ready for a bigger opportunity elsewhere. There are likely others.”
Whatever goaltender the team trades for, the Golden Knights would need to move Lehner’s $5 million salary cap hit to LTIR to create room for a replacement. That’s just where things start for Vegas if they’re keying in on Fleury, who is a pending UFA in the final year of a three-year contract (signed in Vegas) with a $7 million cap charge.
Would Fleury Want to Return?
Whether Fleury would want to go back to Vegas and a team that unceremoniously dumped him is another question altogether. Fleury does not have formal no-trade or no-move protection in his contract, but it has been said an agreement with Chicago is in place that he will not be moved to a team he doesn’t want to join. Speculation is that he already shot down a trade to the Washington Capitals.
McCrimmon Denies Report
According to David Schoen of The Las Vegas Review Journal, McCrimmon has denied reports of any interest in Fleury. He responded to a request for confirmation of the rumor, “There is absolutely no credence to that rumor at all,” McCrimmon said. “I wouldn’t normally speak (officially) on such things, but there will be so much racket about this, it’s important to let people know that’s not going to happen.”
Next: Giroux Informs Flyers He’ll Accept Trade to One of Three NHL Teams
Pingback: Chiarot Almost Part of Toffoli Trade, Could Be Moved Next 7-10 Days
Pingback: Rangers and Canadiens Believed to Be Working On Potential Trade
Pingback: Rangers and Canadiens Believed to Be Working On Potential Trade – Hockey 1 on 1