Leafs remain match for Fleury trade as insider believes beloved goalie could move to Toronto

Despite reports that Marc-Andre Fleury has reportedly decided to stay in Chicago, refusing to uproot his family again in a trade, insider Frank Seravalli believes there is still a chance that the Blackhawks goalie will be on the move ahead of the trade deadline.

The Daily Face-Off insider is adamant that the Toronto Maple Leafs will look to get help in between the pipes.

“My guess is if the Toronto Maple Leafs are going to go down that path and really take a swing at a goaltender, it’s probably going to be someone of substance, someone you can feel confident in and hang your hat on for a playoff run,” Seravalli said on The Fan Morning Show on Monday.

And yes, he pointed at Fleury.

“I don’t think the Fleury situation is far-fetched,” Seravalli said, pointing out that if the Leafs and Hawks included a third team in the trade to absorb part of the goalie's $7 million salary. “The Chicago Blackhawks are in desperate need of a goaltender as well. Can you flip them back Petr Mrazek? Someone with term on his deal. They are going into full rebuild mode. … If you’re rebuilding, does it really matter who’s in net? And if you can find a way to increase your return for Fleury by taking on Mrazek, would that help? Then that would free up the Leafs to be in a position where they could enter the summer with a blank slate, an opportunity to start over.”

Fleury has a 10-team no-trade clause, but if he does request a trade, the Blackhawks won’t send him somewhere he doesn’t want to go. Recent reports have indicated that Flower is not interested in joining the Washington Capitals, who have been in the mix to acquire him because he would not be comfortable coming to Washington in a trade because he is “still very much a Penguin.” The Edmonton Oilers were also rumoured to be in the mix, though it is believed that Flower does not consider them enough of a contender to accept a trade to Edmonton. Who knows if he would reconsider Toronto?

The Hawks could probably get a first-round pick in return for Flower replace the one they lost in the Seth Jones deal, however, we can understand why they prefer to respect Fleury’s wishes to stay in Chicago thanks to a promising pool of young prospects.

I guess time will tell and that means the Flower watch remains ON!