Top 3 moves the Vegas Golden Knights must make to win a Stanley Cup

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Robin Lehner #90 and Marc-Andre Fleury #29 of the Vegas Golden Knights (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /

Move On From Marc-Andre Fleury

Marc-Andre Fleury has done a lot of great things for the Vegas Golden Knights. He was outstanding for them in their first season. Fleury nearly led the Knights to the Stanley Cup in his first season. Vegas needed to fall in love with hockey and Fleury helped. He gave the Knights a marketable face of the franchise.

But that was back in 2017 and 2018. It’s 2020 and the Golden Knights need to do the right thing and part ways with Fleury. Vegas must choose between keeping Robin Lehner or Fleury. Keeping both isn’t impossible, but considering they’d cost at least $12 million combined and the Golden Knights are already close to the $81.5 million cap ceiling for next season, it’s probably not plausible to keep both.

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Lehner’s the right guy to keep. He’s younger and he’s better. Sure, the Vegas Golden Knights would miss Fleury’s lovable personality. He’s a terrific guy in the locker room even if his agent likes to tweet photoshops of his client being stabbed by a sword with his coach’s name on the sword.

But guess what? Lehner’s got a lovable personality too. Who couldn’t love someone who refers to himself as a panda? He’s also a better goalie. Fleury has struggled at times in the net. Lehner’s better suited for the Golden Knights’ style of play. He uses his huge frame to take away angles and give teams very little net to aim at.

Now, Fleury’s $7 million cap hit won’t be easy to trade. Heck, it might not even be possible to trade without retaining salary. Maybe not even if they retain salary. A buyout might be necessary. No matter how the Golden Knights do it, Fleury deserves the chance to move on and try to extend his career. All good things must come to an end, and Fleury’s tenure in Vegas isn’t exempt.

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