4 Landing Spots and Trades for Chicago Blackhawks Goalie Marc-Andre Fleury

The Chicago Blackhawks are in an interesting situation with goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury. With Monday's trade deadline looming and numerous difference-makers believed to be available, they have the best netminder who could be moved, and it really isn't all that close.

It could be argued that Fleury is the only needle-mover in terms of tradeable goalies. Semyon Varlamov might be available, but he's got another year left on his deal, which carries a $5 million cap hit. He's also not the defending Vezina Trophy winner and doesn't have three Stanley Cup rings to his name.

Fleury would be a rental in the truest sense of the word, with his $7 million contract coming off the books after this season. That cost, along with his 10-team no-trade list, will make moving the 37-year-old tricky but not impossible.

Greg Wyshynski of ESPN reported Tuesday that there's a 50-50 chance "Flower" will get moved. As such, we looked at possible landing spots for the veteran. It's worth keeping in mind that multiple reporters, including Scott Powers, Mark Lazerus and Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic, have stated Chicago is seeking a first-round pick or prospect of similar quality in return.

Whether it manages to get that for a player it essentially scooped up for nothing in the offseason remains to be seen.

Where do you think Fleury will end up? Do you think he will be moved or finish the year with the Blackhawks? Sound off in the comments and let us know what you think.

Salary-cap information via CapFriendly.

Remember when Toronto Maple Leafs goalie Jack Campbell was receiving Vezina buzz earlier in the season? Those days feel like a distant memory, as he's come back down to earth.

Through his first 25 contests, Campbell went 17-5-2 and posted a .939 save percentage to go with four shutouts. In his last 15 games, those numbers have dwindled. His .872 save percentage leaves a lot to be desired, and he's 7-4-2 in those outings but just 4-3-1 in his last 10.

Some teams might have the luxury of not needing to win this season. The Maple Leafs are not among them; not after their historic collapse against the Montreal Canadiens a year ago. This is a loaded team with tons of offensive talent, and one has to think another postseason shortcoming will lead to drastic changes.

With Campbell looking shaky and Petr Mrazek's recent groin injury—he doesn't inspire much confidence when he does play either—it'd make sense for the Maple Leafs to make a bold move to acquire Fleury.

They've already traded their third- through sixth-round picks, so it's unclear if Toronto would be willing to give up its first-round selection too.

It's all on the line for the Leafs in the coming months. It's fair to assume this is a make-or-break campaign, and Fleury can help them now. Their 2022 first-round pick cannot. We looped in the Seattle Kraken here to help eat Fleury's salary, as Chicago will retain half.

To the Maple Leafs: Marc-Andre Fleury

To the Kraken: Toronto's 2023 fourth-round pick

To the Blackhawks: Toronto's 2022 first-round pick, Toronto's 2023 fifth-round pick

This is a trade rumor that dates back to the earlier stages of the season. In late January, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported the Washington Capitals were interested in Fleury. That chatter hasn't died down.

The hangup might be whether the netminder can stomach playing for a team that used to be a rival. During his time with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Fleury faced the Capitals in a trio of tough playoff rounds.

If he has an itch to join a veteran team that is gearing up for another shot at the Stanley Cup, though, he could do worse than the Capitals.

Their need for an upgrade in goal isn't as great as it maybe once was. Vitek Vanecek has been fantastic since the calendar flipped to 2022, going 8-3-0 with a .927 save percentage. Still, he's only 26 and has just 13 minutes of playoff experience.

With Father Time gaining ground on its core, Washington can't wait and see if Vanecek is a playoff performer. Fleury, on the other hand, is one of the most tested netminders in the league. He would bring the experience the Capitals seem to desire and would form a solid one-two punch with Vanecek.

We have Washington trading Michal Kempny and his $2.5 million cap hit back to Chicago. The Capitals have virtually no cap room to work with, so the Detroit Red Wings will help broker this deal.

To the Capitals: Marc-Andre Fleury

To the Red Wings: Washington's 2023 fourth-round pick

To the Blackhawks: Washington's 2022 first- and fourth-round picks

You may or may not have heard, but the Edmonton Oilers have won only a single playoff series since prevailing in the Connor McDavid sweepstakes. That is six years (and counting) of wasting the most singularly electric offensive force in the NHL.

If the Oilers want to avoid making it a seventh, they need to upgrade in goal. Edmonton was likely hoping for a breakout season from Mikko Koskinen—which is odd since he's 33—but that hasn't materialized. And the 39-year-old Mike Smith probably doesn't have a deep playoff run in him.

So general manager Ken Holland has a few orders of business to handle in the coming days. Acquiring a reliable, steady and proven playoff netminder should be at or near the top of his list. There aren't many of those available, making Fleury a de facto target as Edmonton tries to emerge from the wild Western Conference.

It has the draft picks needed to make a deal for Fleury work, and, like Toronto, is under an incredible amount of pressure to win now, before another year of prime McDavid and Leon Draisaitl is gone.

When the Penguins had two generational talents on their roster, they traded high-round picks to surround Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin with as much talent as possible every year, and they are still contenders today. The Oilers would be wise to take that approach.

Chicago would retain half of Fleury's salary in this deal, and the Arizona Coyotes help to make the numbers work.

To the Oilers: Marc-Andre Fleury

To the Coyotes: Edmonton's 2023 fourth-round pick

To the Blackhawks: Mikko Koskinen, Edmonton's 2022 first-round pick

As Greg Wyshynski reported, it's still very much a possibility that Fleury will remain with Chicago. The Blackhawks will honor the netminder's wishes about staying or going, which essentially gives him a full no-movement clause.

Fleury hasn't publicly said which way he's leaning. When speaking about the trade rumors a month ago, he said this, according to Charlie Roumeliotis of NBC Sports Chicago:

"I don't have social media, so I don't see everything, but people tell me about it. I've just got to not worry too much about it, right? Play the games here and try to win games here. We'll see what happens. ...

"If—if—I move, I would love a chance to win. That's what I play for and that's what I love. It's still a big if at this point."

It's been a whirlwind for Fleury after the Vegas Golden Knights unceremoniously cast him aside following the 2020-21 campaign.

He was supposed to be a key part of another championship push for Chicago this year, but that fizzled out with the team's embarrassing nine-game losing streak to open the campaign. Now, Fleury has the opportunity to try to win elsewhere.

Whether he chooses to do so could tilt the scales come playoff time. It's one of the most intriguing stories to watch between now and Monday's deadline.