The Vegas Golden Knights are dealing Marc-Andre Fleury to the Chicago Blackhawks, reports ESPN's Emily Kaplan.
Vegas isn't retaining any of the reigning Vezina Trophy winner's salary, and the only player Chicago is trading for him is AHL forward Mikael Hakkarainen, Kaplan adds.
Fleury's agent, Allan Walsh, confirmed the Golden Knights didn't inform the goaltender of the move, and he said Fleury will need to consider his next step.
While Marc-Andre Fleury still hasn’t heard from anybody with the Vegas Golden Knights, he has apparently been traded to Chicago. Marc-Andre will be taking time to discuss his situation with his family and seriously evaluate his hockey future at this time.
— Allan Walsh (@walsha) July 27, 2021
Fleury found out about the trade on Twitter, reports The Athletic's Jesse Granger.
The 36-year-old is under contract through next season at a $7-million cap hit, according to CapFriendly.
Fleury had one of his best seasons in 2021, posting a career-high .928 save percentage while going 26-10-0 with six shutouts over 36 games. He led all NHL netminders with 19.2 goals saved above expected at all strengths in 2021, and ranked fourth with an 11.74 GSAx at five-on-five, according to Evolving Hockey.
The 17-year veteran was one of the faces of the Golden Knights franchise, helping Vegas make an improbable run to the Stanley Cup Final in the club's inaugural season of 2017-18. He spent the last four campaigns with the Golden Knights after playing the previous 13 with the Pittsburgh Penguins, with whom he won three championships.
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