Fleury waives no-movement clause for Golden Knights

By Jesse Granger

Monday, June 12, 2017 | 2 p.m.

NHL teams won’t submit their protection lists for the expansion draft until Saturday morning, but the Vegas Golden Knights may have already found their goalie.

Marc-Andre Fleury, goaltender for the recently crowned Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins, has waived his no-movement clause for the upcoming expansion draft, according to Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports in Montreal.

The Penguins can only protect one goalie due to expansion rules and wouldn’t risk losing 23-year-old Matt Murray, who is one day removed from winning his second straight Stanley Cup.

Fleury negotiated a no-movement clause into his contract, meaning the team couldn’t trade him or let him go in the expansion draft without his approval. He did just that, according to Lavoie, but only for a move to Las Vegas.

This doesn’t guarantee he will be the Golden Knights selection on June 21, but it’s highly likely.

Fleury has helped Pittsburgh to three Stanley Cup Championships in the last decade including winning nine playoff games for them this year while starter Murray was injured.

The 32-year-old is only two years removed from being named an All-Star in 2015 and posted a respectable .909 save percentage this season. Fleury went 18-10-7 during the regular season for the Penguins and 15-9 in the playoffs.

More importantly for Vegas, Fleury is the perfect face for a new franchise. He has name recognition among casual hockey fans, he is still a good player and he has a reputation for being a consummate teammate.

Jesse Granger can be reached at 702-259-8814 or [email protected]. Follow Jesse on Twitter at twitter.com/JesseGranger_.