Next season is no longer a contract year for Marc-Andre Fleury. He will be in Vegas for a while.
The Golden Knights have signed Fleury to a three-year contract extension worth an AAV of $7 million that will run through the 2021-22 season, the team announced Friday.
“This organization gave me a chance to play,” Fleury said. “They believed in me. I love to do what I did. The success we had over the season, winning makes everything better. My family loves it here, too.”
The 33-year-old goaltender is coming off, arguably, the best season of his career despite missing two months due to a concussion. Fleury went 29-13-4 with a goals-against average of 2.24 and a .927 save percentage in Vegas’ inaugural season — he was selected in last year’s expansion draft from the Pittsburgh Penguins, the team he had played for since being the No. 1 overall pick in 2003.
“I don’t have the body of a 22-year-old guy, but I’ve gained a lot of experience in my career,” he said.
Fleury was a primary reason why the Golden Knights clinched the Pacific Division title with 109 points and went 12-3 in the Western Conference playoffs before reaching the Stanley Cup Final in Year 1. Vegas went on to lose to the Washington Capitals in five games.
A three-time Stanley Cup champion and 11th all time in wins in NHL history with 404, Fleury said the day of locker clean outs on June 8, “I hope to finish my career here.” Fleury is set to make $5 million this season. He will make $8.5 million in 2019-20.
The Golden Knights knew the kind of player they were getting in Fleury when he was chosen in the expansion draft. The stories of the kind of person he is were well known. Now, the face of the franchise is being rewarded in a major way and is certainly going to have a chance to finish his career in Vegas.
“For me, this team gave me a second opportunity in my career,” he said. “I’ll always be grateful for it. I love the guys we have in the locker room, I love the organization. Our owner Bill (Foley) … it just felt right for me to finish my career here. It’s fun to get it done before the season.”