Marc-André Fleury (Chicago) joins the Wild
Marc-André Fleury had set his conditions in mid-February: “If I move, I would like to have a chance to win. » From Chicago (22 wins – 32 losses) to Minnesota (36 wins – 20 losses), the 3rd most successful goalkeeper in NHL history (511 wins in 928 games) comes from a franchise located in the depths of the Western Conference (14th out of 16) to one of this season’s “chills” teams, 3rd in the Central Division.
Drafted first in 2003 by the Pittsburgh Penguins, Marc-André Fleury joined the Vegas Golden Knights when they entered the National League in 2017, after winning three Stanley Cups with the Pennsylvania franchise. Voted best goalkeeper in the NHL last season, he had already been traded last summer to the Chicago Blackhawks, who will recover at worst, a second-round pick in the next draft, which could turn into the first round if the Wild reaches the Western final and that Fleury has at least four wins in the first two rounds of the playoffs.
Claude Giroux leaves the Flyers for Florida
He had played his 1,000th game with Philadelphia two days earlier. On Saturday, Claude Giroux was traded to the Florida Panthers. Selected 22nd in the 2006 draft, the Flyers captain had 42 points (18 goals, 24 assists) this season. In 15 years with the Pennsylvania organization, Giroux scored 900 points all round (291 goals, 609 assists). In exchange for young winger Owen Tippett (23, 10th draft pick in 2017), the Flyers part with the one who has worn the “C” for the longest time in their history (10 seasons). Leaders of the Eastern Conference, the Panthers, they recover the MVP of the last All-Star Game and are more than ever candidates for the final victory.
Mark Giordano, from Seattle to Toronto
He, too, passed the 1,000 NHL appearances mark this month. Mark Giordano, 15 seasons with the Calgary Flames, will not last long in Seattle. Selected by the new Washington State franchise in the expansion draft last summer, the veteran defenseman (38) is already returning to Canada. The first captain in Kraken history joins the star-studded Toronto Maple Leafs. Despite Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner or even John Tavares, the Ontario franchise has not passed the first round of the playoffs since 2004. And if the recipient of the Norris trophy in 2019 (rewarding the best defenseman in the League) was the missing piece to defeat the Indian sign?