Marc-Andre Fleury shares stunning update on his future amidst playoff race

Minnesota Wild beloved goalie Marc-Andre Fleury is having a blast. On Friday, he revealed how much fun he is having by telling Jean-Francois Chaumont from NHL.com that he is not willing to hang up the pads just yet.

“The door is more open today for a return than it was in September or October,” Fleury said in a French-language interview.

Back at training camps this season, Fleury had mentioned how he would make the decision on his future at the end of the 2023-24 season - his 20th campaign in the NHL - before deciding on his retirement.

Fleury now revealed how he has “rediscovered the joy of playing hockey,” which changes everything for his decision on what’s coming next.

“I’d like to sit down with (Wild GM Bill Guerin) and have a chat with him,” he said. “I want to know what he thinks. What are the plans for the Wild? What are his options? What does he think about me? Am I still an asset for the team?

“We also have another good young goalie in the American Hockey League in (Jesper) Wallstedt. He’s been playing in (the AHL) for two years now. I’ll need to know Bill’s plans.”

The Wild has been lucky to have Fleury as a backup to Filip Gustavsson. The veteran netminder has 16 wins under his belt across 36 appearances, as well as an .899 save percentage and 2.85 goals against average.

When speaking about Fleury’s future with the team, GM Guerin said it wouldn’t be out of the question in Minnesota.

“I’m more than open to the possibility of seeing him coming back for another season, 100%,” he said. “We’ll talk about it in the next few days. He’s still having a good season. I think he’s still got hockey in him if he wants. There’s still some gas left in his tank.”

Fleury is completing his second full season with the Wild after the Chicago Blackhawks sent him there at the 2022 trade deadline. This is the final season of a two-year, $7-million extension he signed with the team. At the trade deadline, Fleury could have been shipped out to a Stanley Cup playoff but chose to stick in Minnesota because he had hope in their playoff push. And Minnesota is the one place where Fleury wants to be.

“Yeah, it’s probably Minnesota or retirement,” he said.

“If I come back, I’d sign a one-year contract. And then, we’ll figure it out from there.”

At the moment, the Wild is eight points behind the Los Angeles Kings who are currently holding on to the last Wild card playoff spot in the West.

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