Having filled the gaps at wing via free agency and re-signed
young superstar Evegni Malkin Shero today locked up young goaltender Marc-Andre
Fleury to a seven-year, $35 million contract.
Fleury will now be making $5 million per season over that
period, a considerable raise from the $1.6 million he earned last season.
His tremendous performance in the Penguins run to the
Stanley Cup finals this spring was undoubtedly the contributing factor in his
new contract, and if he continues to play as well over the next five years as
he did in this spring’s playoffs this will be money well-spent for the Pens.
Shero’s will likely next turn his focus upon center Jordan
Staal, who’ll be eligible for RFA status next July. It’s been speculated Staal
could be a tougher nut to crack as it’s believed he’s not happy centering the
third line and would prefer more offensive roles.
Fleury got a nice deal, and so did the Penguins. Not only was it a realtively "cheap" deal for the amount of talent i believe the Penguins get, but it was a long term deal fo a young goalie who will only get better. That was a great deal for the Penguins.
Great move, Fleury more then proved his worth after coming back from injury. He was pushed for the first time in his career, and he responded with the best play of his career. Three of the Big Four Shero identified are locked down, and I do agree that Staal won't be as easy to extend. He may get his offensive role more then is year, who knows.
Any idea why the Pens didn't bother to retain Ty Conklin? Seemed like a no-brainer to lock the guy up for a few years at $1 Million per. He really saved their butts this year when Fleury went down. Do they have another kid in the minors who will fill the back-up role?
They couldnt retain Conk because Sabu has a 1 way contract. Impossible in this day and age to have 3 goalies on your NHL roster. And yes the Pens have decent goaltending down at WBS. Look at Curry. Another year in the minors he will make a good backup to Fleury
I'm Lyle Richardson, also known as Spector, Foxsports.com 's "Prince of Pucks".,which is based on the fact I live in Prince Edward Island, Canada and I couldn't think of a better byline. I've been an NHL hockey commentator since 1998 on my website, Spector's Hockey, and I'm a contributing writer for Foxsports.com , The Hockey News and Eishockey News. I'm also a regular on The Faceoff Hockey Show and a frequent guest on "The Late Crew" on The Team 1200 Ottawa.
