Sabre Noise
Fansided

Should the Buffalo Sabres go after Marc-André Fleury?

By Zach Jezioro

ST PAUL, MN - MAY 04: Marc-Andre Fleury #29 of the Minnesota Wild looks on against the St. Louis Blues in the first period in Game Two of the First Round of the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Xcel Energy Center on May 4, 2022 in St Paul, Minnesota. The Wild defeated the Blues 6-2 to tie the series 1-1. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)
ST PAUL, MN - MAY 04: Marc-Andre Fleury #29 of the Minnesota Wild looks on against the St. Louis Blues in the first period in Game Two of the First Round of the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Xcel Energy Center on May 4, 2022 in St Paul, Minnesota. The Wild defeated the Blues 6-2 to tie the series 1-1. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

Marc-André Fleury is probably the big fish out there when it comes to goaltending. Should the Buffalo Sabres try to sign him?

Goaltending should be Buffalo Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams’ biggest priority going into the draft and free agency. Looking at the goaltending free agent market, one name stands out the most and that’s Marc-André Fleury.

There are some big names in the market for Buffalo when it comes to goaltending but Fleury is the one who NHL fans think is the biggest name. Looking at his stats according to Hockey-Reference, Fleury was 28-23-5 during the regular season where he played for the Chicago Blackhawks and the Minnesota Wild. He had a GAA (goals against average) of 2.90 and a SV% (save percentage) of .908. In the postseason, he went 2-3 with a GAA of 3.04 and a SV% of .906.

Will the Buffalo Sabres target Marc-André Fleury in free agency?

The win-loss record wasn’t impressive. But if you take a deeper dive into his stats, they aren’t too bad. Chicago didn’t have a good season and Fleury was 19-21-5 with them. When he got traded to Minnesota at the trade deadline, he was 9-2-0.

Even though he’s 37 years old, Buffalo should at least consider offering him a contract. Which begs the question: Would he want to come to Buffalo?

Yes the team had a better season than what people expected but it’s possible Fleury would want to try and win another Stanley Cup before his career is over. Let’s not forget that he was the driving force behind the new expansion franchise Vegas Golden Knights making the Stanley Cup Finals in 2018. Yes he is getting older but he’s still a reliable goalie.

He would also make a good mentor for Sabres goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen if he starts the season in Buffalo next year. Again, Fleury might not want come to the Sabres but Adams might offer him a contract and why wouldn’t you? He’s reliable and would make a great mentor for this young Sabres team.

Related Story. Sabres are a dark-horse to sign Marc-Andre Fleury. light

There’s obviously other options out there if Fleury doesn’t sign with the Sabres but it wouldn’t hurt to see if he would be willing to come and help out the franchise. A one or two-year deal would be most likely a good contract for him but we will see what happens as free agency approaches.

(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)

Home/Free Agency