Hawks might consider trading Marc-Andre Fleury!

This was a tough one on Tuesday. It all started when Marc-Andre Fleury was traded from Vegas to Chicago. While Fleury did not have Chicago on his 10-team no-trade list, he had made it clear he didn’t want to play for any team other than Vegas. To make things worse and unfortunately for Flower, he found out he was traded on social media. The shock was so important that his agent, Allan Walsh, revealed that his client is now contemplating his future.

This prompted several insiders and pundits to wonder if the Hawks could consider trading Fleury to the Pittsburgh Penguins, the only other team Fleury would be willing to play for.

This has nothing to do with the Hawks’ organization, but Fleury does not want to uproot his family for an unfamiliar locale. It’s been said more than once that the poor goalie remains shocked by the trade. 

This is why a move to Pittsburgh could make sense, according to Rob Rossi , Scott Powers and Mark Lazerus of The Athletic. 

“However, if an endgame with Vegas was not in the cards, Fleury has long eyed a return to Pittsburgh, where his legend has only seemed to grow since the Penguins allowed him to depart after their 2017 Stanley Cup victory.

“Pitt’s home to him,” a source said of Fleury. “He and (his wife) Veronique grew up there, you know?”

This could be why another trade might be the answer, though the reporters clearly state that the Blackhawks did not acquire Fleury only to move him again.  But the move surprised Penguins GM Ron Hextall, who is more interested in trying to get him back to Pittsburgh. 

“Penguins brass is said to have been surprised by Vegas trading Fleury to Chicago, a team source said. That source also said Fleury potentially being available “changes things,” adding high-ranking officials on the business side would “love it” if Hextall could bring Fleury back.”

His cap hit would however be a lot for the Penguins, though the reporters even wonder if the Hawks could be forced to buy him out if he refuses to play in Chicago. 

While this is a great scenario to see Flower back in Pittsburgh, TSN’s Pierre LeBrun simply doesn’t see him happening as he mentioned on last night’s Insider Trading: 

“The Fleury trade was less than an hour old and there was already media speculation that somehow he would end up in Pittsburgh where he probably would rather be, as that’s where his career began. Maybe part of that is that, last off-season, former Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford almost reacquired Fleury before that deal fell through. 
 
Here’s what I can tell you. Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman did not acquire Fleury to flip him. He acquired him to play for the Chicago Blackhawks, so I don’t see any merit in that idea, at this point.”

What do you think?