The Toronto Maple Leafs have been rumoured to have a strong interest in a former Stanely Cup Champion for years now, including at points this season, but nothing has ever materialized in terms of a trade. However, with the inconsistency that the Leafs have dealt with in the goaltending department this season, they have once again circled back on Minnesota Wild goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury.
The future Hall-of-Famer and former first overall pick in the 2003 draft was instrumental in three Stanley Cups for the Pittsburgh Penguins and has been a very dependable and consistent goalie throughout his career, even as he has transitioned into more of a "1B" or backup role. With the Wild currently five points out of a playoff spot, and a number of teams looking to solidify their goaltending, Fleury may welcome another opportunity for a Stanley Cup and would help provide some stability to the Leafs crease.
Although Ilya Samsonov has played well since returning from his stint working with development coaches, inconsistency in the crease has cost the Leafs a lot of points and positions in the standings this season. Additionally, and due to the continuous question marks surrounding the Leafs goaltending, Fleury would be an excellent addition to the team.
We have seen Samsonov struggle in the playoffs and with the unknown of how Joseph Woll may fair in his return from injury and his lack of playoff experience, as well as how Martin Jones fell off after a few weeks of a heavy workload, the Leafs would be smart to attempt to land the 39-year-old.
While it sounds like a match made in heaven, Fleury controls his own fate to an extent as he carries a 16-team no-trade list and with a $3.5M cap hit, the Leafs would have to move out money or pay a higher price for retention in any deal involving the netminder. According to TSN's Pierre LeBrun, though, the Leafs are very much in on Fleury.
