Wild acquire G Marc-Andre Fleury as West hopefuls make moves

The NHL playoffs simply wouldn’t be the identical with out Marc Andre-Fleury being someplace within the combine.

Unable to backstop the retooling Chicago Blackhawks into rivalry, the three-time Stanley Cup-winner is headed to Minnesota to assist the high-scoring Wild shore up their inconsistent goaltending points for a late-season playoff push. Minnesota gave up a conditional first-round decide on this yr’s draft to accumulate the 37-year-old Fleury hours earlier than the NHL commerce deadline on Monday.

Fleury, who final missed the playoffs throughout his first full season in Pittsburgh 16 years in the past, jumped 10 spots within the Western Convention standings by touchdown in Minnesota the place he’ll share the goaltending duties with Cam Talbot. The Wild opened the day sitting fourth total — and third within the Central Division — in a tightly contested playoff race wherein six factors separate third-place St. Louis and ninth-place Dallas.

Eight of the West’s prime 9 groups made strikes, beginning with the conference-leading Colorado Avalanche touchdown Montreal’s Artturi Lehkonen, who is taken into account among the best 200-foot wingers in hockey. The one contender to not make a commerce was wage cap-strapped and damage depleted Vegas, which sits eighth.

The Japanese Convention groups have been busy, too, making the most of one final likelihood in focusing totally on addressing depth and defensive wants.

The wage cap, which has stayed flat at $81.5 million, performed an element, with a majority of the trades involving gamers eligible to change into unrestricted free brokers this summer time with draft picks going again in return.

The East-leading Carolina Hurricanes acquired ahead Max Domi in a commerce with Columbus simply earlier than the deadline. Domi has topped 40 factors in 4 of his seven NHL seasons.

“We have been searching for any person to enrich our ahead group, the highest 9, and felt that this was an ideal match for us,” Hurricanes basic supervisor Don Waddell mentioned of Domi, who 9 targets and 32 factors in 53 video games this yr.

The Pittsburgh Penguins landed a possible top-six ahead Rickard Rakell in a commerce with Anaheim. Rakell’s 154 targets in 550 video games rank fifth on the Geese record. In return, Anaheim acquired Zach Aston-Reese, Dominik Simon, prospect goalie Calle Clang and a second-round draft decide.

The eighth-place Capitals made two strikes at wing, with Marcus Johansson returning to Washington for a second stint following a commerce with Seattle and Johan Larsson arriving in a take care of Arizona.

The New York Rangers added measurement to their protection by buying Justin Braun in a commerce with Philadelphia.

Of the trades accomplished, the Wild’s addition of Fleury may nicely be essentially the most significant in in search of to handle one of many league’s widest disparities: Minnesota ranks third within the NHL in averaging 3.67 targets per outing, and twenty second in permitting 3.2 targets per sport.

In buying Fleury, who received a Vezina Trophy a yr in the past with Vegas, Minnesota traded backup goalie Kaapo Kahkonen and a fifth-round draft decide to San Jose for defenseman Jake Middleton. Kahkonnen had a 12-8-3 document this season and was 0-5-1 with 21 targets allowed in his previous six begins. The Wild additionally grabbed a second-round decide this summer time from the rebuilding Coyotes for unsigned prospect Jack McBain.

In different strikes:

• The St. Louis Blues obtained the defenseman they’ve been searching for, buying Nick Leddy from the Detroit Pink Wings. St. Louis additionally obtained Luke Witkowski and despatched ahead Oskar Sundqvist, defenseman Jake Walman and a 2023 second-round decide to Detroit. Leddy is a pending free agent.
• The Coyotes acquired unsigned ahead prospect Nathan Smith and Bryan Little’s contract from the Winnipeg Jets for a 2022 fourth-round decide. Little is signed for 2 extra seasons at an annual wage cap hit of $5.3 million and isn’t anticipated to play once more due to concussion points.
• “We’re excited to accumulate Nate,” Coyotes GM Invoice Armstrong mentioned. “He’s a really expert two-way heart who’s relentless and competes laborious each night time. We’re very pleased to accumulate his rights and stay up for him becoming a member of the Coyotes group.”
• The Toronto Maple Leafs may need been the day’s largest loser in failing to handle their goaltending wants. Toronto misplaced out on signing Harri Sateri after Arizona claimed the Olympic gold-medal-winning Finn off waivers. Signed by Toronto to a $750,000 contract for the remainder of the season, Sateri was first required to clear waivers as a result of he performed in Europe this season.
• One goaltender who was considered accessible got here off the market earlier than the deadline when Anton Forsberg re-signed with Ottawa. Forsberg inked an $8.25 million, three-year deal.