NHL trade rumors: 3 teams who should trade for Marc-Andre Fleury

1. Carolina Hurricanes

Fleury’s likely hoping for the opportunity to be a starting goalie. He would also probably like to play for a Stanley Cup contender. If that’s the case, the Carolina Hurricanes are probably the best fit for Fleury. They need to upgrade their goaltending after losing to the Boston Bruins in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for a second straight season.

Sara Civian of The Athletic points out that Fleury could make a great deal of sense for Carolina. 

"The Canes might want to look into what a trade for Marc-Andre Fleury would cost. A short-term Fleury/Mrazek tandem could work, no?"

However, upgrading their goaltending could be complicated. Both Petr Mrazek and James Reimer have one year left on their deals. One of them is going to have to be traded to accommodate an upgrade. My guess would be Reimer, but Mrazek could be traded as well.

Because the Hurricanes are so close to the cap ceiling, the Golden Knights would have to retain 50% of Fleury’s cap hit. The flat salary cap ceiling is painful for a lot of teams, and yes, that includes Vegas, who would like to clear Fleury’s entire contract. But that’s probably not possible.

Finally, let’s consider how freaking awesome Fleury’s personality would be on a team known as a “Bunch of jerks”. Fleury has a playful personality and loves to pull pranks. He’d be the perfect ringleader for Carolina’s motley crew.