Marc-Andre Fleury reveals true intentions with Trade Deadline approaching

It wasn't that long ago that the Minnesota Wild appeared to be fading and that general manager Bill Guerin would soon be working the phones to sell off assets, perhaps the biggest name of which is veteran goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury in the final year of his current deal. 

However, the Wild have bounced back with seven wins in their last 10 games to put them right back in the thick of the playoff chase in the Western Conference. For Fleury, who has a no-trade clause in his contract, he wants to stick with his current squad thanks to their recent hot stretch. 

“If we were last in the conference, maybe it’d be a little bit different,” Fleury said after making 30 saves to defeat the Seattle Kraken on Sunday. “But this is my team. We’ve been battling together, right? I take pride in winning with this team. I want us to make the playoffs. That’s my first priority.

"I think being in the hunt, it’s fun, it’s challenging. And I want to be here and see this team make the playoffs.”

Despite their surge, the Wild remain four points behind the Nashville Predators for the final Wild Card spot in the West, but also have one game in hand. For Fleury, who owns a record of 12-10-3 in what could be his potential final NHL season, has every intention of seeing this campaign through to the end with Minnesota.  

“I don’t want to just quit, right?” Fleury added. “I like this. I like the guys. It’s a great bunch of guys. When you’re so close, you want to do it all for each other. It’s been fun lately winning a bit more too.”

Fleury and the Wild will have a chance to carve into the standings tonight when they bring in the Carolina Hurricanes to Xcel Energy Center in downtown St. Paul. 

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