Fleury signs 1-year, $2.5M extension with Wild
Marc-Andre Fleury isn't hanging up his pads just yet.
The veteran netminder signed a one-year, $2.5-million extension with the Minnesota Wild on Wednesday.
The pact includes a no-move clause, per The Athletic's Michael Russo.
"I'm grateful to keep doing what I love for one more season," Fleury said. "I thought about it a lot this year, but I still love to compete."
The beloved goalie added that he expects next season to be his last.
Prior to the start of the 2023-24 campaign, Fleury said he would wait until the end of the season to make a decision on his playing future.
In late March, he conceded that he initially thought this year would be his last in the NHL, but he ended up rediscovering "the joy of playing hockey." He added that if he were to come back, it'd only be as a member of the Wild.
Fleury owns an .895 save percentage and 2.98 goals against average across 39 appearances in his 20th NHL season. He's also saved 5.83 goals above average and 1.73 goals above expected at five-on-five, according to Evolving-Hockey.
Minnesota failed to make the playoffs this campaign, putting an end to Fleury's streak of 17 consecutive postseason appearances. He won the Stanley Cup three times as a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins and owns a career .911 save percentage in the postseason.
Fleury is nearing the end of his second full season with the Wild. The Chicago Blackhawks traded him to Minnesota at the 2022 trade deadline.
The Wild will play their last game of the 2023-24 campaign on Thursday against the Seattle Kraken, and Fleury is slated to make the start.
The 39-year-old is just three years removed from winning his first Vezina Trophy as the league's top goaltender. A member of the Vegas Golden Knights at the time, Fleury registered a .928 save percentage and 1.98 goals against average to go along with a 26-10-0 record.
Fleury already ranks second in wins (561) and fourth in games played (1,024) by a goaltender in NHL history.
Though he won't pass Martin Brodeur's 691 victories, Fleury is only six appearances away from passing Patrick Roy for third on the all-time list and 21 removed from supplanting Roberto Luongo for second place.
Fleury will turn 40 years old on Nov. 28.
Elsewhere in the Wild's crease, Filip Gustavsson is signed for two more seasons with a cap hit of $3.75 million, while they'll need to continue developing 2021 first-round pick Jesper Wallstedt.
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