Maple Leafs Might Be Looking Into Marc-Andre Fleury Trade

According to Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun, the Maple Leafs are starting to grow concerned about their lackluster goaltending, and with Marc-Andre Fleury having a wonderful season on a not-so-wonderful team out of Chicago, Simmons wonders if Toronto will kick tires on a possible trade.

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He writes:

Fleury wouldn’t mind being traded to a contending team. He wouldn’t mind another shot at a Stanley Cup. There may be a lineup of teams looking to acquire him in the coming weeks — a lineup that should include the Leafs, Edmonton, Boston, Washington and Colorado.

Simmons goes into detail about Jack Campbell’s recent struggles. Suggesting he was playing at a Vezina-caliber level to start the season, he’s been anything but that over since Dec. 2. He notes, “Campbell’s play has fallen like a bad stock. In that time, he has dropped to 15th in games played, 16th in wins, 28th in save percentage, 27th in goals against. The Leafs can’t hide from that.”

Simmons also reports that the Leafs are keenly aware of how tough a first-round matchup they could be given in this year’s Stanley Cup playoffs. If they have to face either the Florida Panthers or Tampa Bay Lightning, they’ll be the underdogs. And, with poor goaltending from Campbell and Petr Mrazek, the Leafs could be a quick out. Simmons suggests the Leafs have a short amount of time to either fix Campbell or get in the Fleury bidding.

How Would It Work on the Maple Leafs’ Salary Cap?

The question becomes how Fleury fits financially if the Blackhawks do elect to move him. Simmons suggests Jake Muzzin’s LTIR situation could come into play but this contradicts Elliotte Friedman’s report that GM Kyle Dubas is operating under the assumption he doesn’t have Muzzin’s cap money to spend because the defenseman should be back before the NHL playoffs.

Fleury’s $7 million cap hit doesn’t just go away for the Leafs, even if Chicago retains 50%.

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