Confirmed with Link: MAF traded to Chicago for Hakkarainen

[Pia8988]

LOL you know that was never going to happen. Buyout maybe, even VGK front office wasn't going to humiliate him like that.

This front office group? If he and Walsh intentionally sabotaged a deal, I could see it.

 

[LadyStanley]

Hmmmm

 

[Vegan Knight]

Friedman was on some radio and said that he talked to other teams and they knew, assuming from Fleury/Walsh, that he was threatening to retire if traded. The reason for the low return.

Vegas took it as a threat and went about their business as they would, possibly where some lack of communication comes from. Vegas traded him, and he said is taking it as a bluff.

Does that count as trying to sabotage a trade, or give Vegas reason to worry Walsh would attempt to, as another poster suggested?

This narrative of Vegas being the bad guys seems so off to me. It's clear this is messy from both sides and is not surprising with Allan Walsh as his agent.

 

[Haguerbomb]

Fans on twitter are shitting on Lehner and they need to stop. I feel really bad for him.

 

[Super Cake]

Fans on twitter are shitting on Lehner and they need to stop. I feel really bad for him.

I know he shouldn't have too, but i think it is in his best interest to deactivate his twitter account for the time being.

 

[Pia8988]

I know he shouldn't have too, but i think it is in his best interest to deactivate his twitter account for the time being.

No athlete on twitter should expect anything good.

 

[Boris Zubov]

They really need to acquire Jack, Evgeny or Mika now. It really has to be one of those 3 to make the most of this move.

The Rangers twitter has been pumping Mika's tires for the last two weeks. I have a hard time seeing him dealt, especially since it's been reported that Eichel to NYR is basically dead. IMO, the only way Zibanejad is moved would be at the deadline if the Rangers feel they can't extend him.

 

[Boris Zubov]

This front office group? If he and Walsh intentionally sabotaged a deal, I could see it.

Regardless, that wouldn't alleviate the cap hit. You can only bury $1M in the AHL.

 

[Puckrobber]

Sad day in Las Vegas. Flower gave it his all, and helped make the Golden Knights one of the elite teams from day 1. I will miss his aggressive play, his competitiveness, and above all, his enigmatic smile. Win or lose, he will forever be a Golden Knight.

Good luck, Flower............

 

[Vegas07]

Surprised people aren’t more upset on here because it seemed like the consensus was Fleury>>>>>>>>>>>Lehner during the playoffs.

 

[Vegas07]

A lot of fans saying they are done with the team. I saw way more Fleury jerseys than jerseys of other teams at TMobile. Will ticket prices continue to go up?

Also it seemed like it was mostly female fans that were upset (although there still were a lot of guys upset about it too). A lot of people being irrational saying the team will struggle a lot more now.

If the team gets Eichel and the trade blows up in our faces because of his injury issues, we’re going to keep hearing about how the Fleury trade destroyed the team. So hopefully if Eichel does become a Knight he excels and lifts the team so we don’t have to hear that nonsense.

 

[CupInSIX]

The team was also worried about him burning out by going to Team Canada at the Olympics.

 

[NotPetya]

Surprised people aren’t more upset on here because it seemed like the consensus was Fleury>>>>>>>>>>>Lehner during the playoffs.

I think that the full sample set is a tad different…

Lehner sucked in game one against the Avs - when the whole team was coming off of game 7, playing at high altitude two days later. Fleury gets that series.

Against Montréal, the team played steadier with Lehner after Fleury’s gaffs before falling to the momentum the Habs had built up.

I’ll wait to see how they look longer-term without Fleury’s stickhandling but with a more “simplified” approach. No Vezina, but still a two-time Jennings winner.

 

[hackeyman]

Loved the Knights in the beginning. Loved the misfits. Loved how they valued character and how they chose one of the most solid characters in the game as the cornerstone of the team. They seemed like a team of principle that stood for something different than what is typical in pro sports. They are going to find out the hard way you can't lose a guy like Fleury and it not hurt your dressing room and overall team morale.

 

[willy702]

Surprised people aren’t more upset on here because it seemed like the consensus was Fleury>>>>>>>>>>>Lehner during the playoffs.

They chose to move forward with a younger guy locked up with a cheaper deal. There is more to player evaluation than who was playing better last time they were on the ice.

Fact of the matter is MAFs popularity was always going to bring problems. No way he deserved the extension he got, but that was the team paying for past results.

 

[Vegas07]

I think that the full sample set is a tad different…

Lehner sucked in game one against the Avs - when the whole team was coming off of game 7, playing at high altitude two days later. Fleury gets that series.

Against Montréal, the team played steadier with Lehner after Fleury’s gaffs before falling to the momentum the Habs had built up.

I’ll wait to see how they look longer-term without Fleury’s stickhandling but with a more “simplified” approach. No Vezina, but still a two-time Jennings winner.

People were angry at Lehner for losing a regular season game 2-1 to the Avalanche.

 

[Vegas07]

Remember when the team picked up Lehner and tried to say Fleury shouldn’t be threatened by it, that it wasn’t an insult, etc? I always liked the trade, but of course it was a threat to Fleury as he lost his starting job for a while, and then was traded between 1-2 years later.

 

[NotPetya]

Remember when the team picked up Lehner and tried to say Fleury shouldn’t be threatened by it, that it wasn’t an insult, etc? I always liked the trade, but of course it was a threat to Fleury as he lost his starting job for a while, and then was traded between 1-2 years later.

I think this post below is a solid take on the quoted one above:

They chose to move forward with a younger guy locked up with a cheaper deal. There is more to player evaluation than who was playing better last time they were on the ice.

Fact of the matter is MAFs popularity was always going to bring problems. No way he deserved the extension he got, but that was the team paying for past results.

That last paragraph 1,000 times.

Also noticed a few things…..

Fleury’s GAA over career is 2.55; SV% .913….

Lehner’s GAA over career is 2.69, SV% .918.

A slightly better save percentage and the difference of a about a single goal across 21 periods of hockey (.14 x 7 = .98).

I think the Knights will be fine……I feel the act of keeping the goalie ready to fall off of a cliff is something that a franchise does to give a guy a last hurrah if operating upon the basis that there won’t be a logical shot at a Cup.

I get that he wanted to retire in Vegas, but his stability-versus-brainfarts, age and contract all make each other way less compatible. The only thing I’d change is the method by which he found out - FO as opposed to Twitter. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[Dennis Charles]

A cap move that is understandable, but the classless way the front office handled this is shameful. I recall when the Penguins knew they were facing a decision with how to part with Fleury, they discussed openly with him and gave him the respect due to a high character, hard working, seasoned professional....they asked him whether he wanted to be traded at the trade deadline, or stay on their roster through the playoffs and then be exposed in the expansion draft. Fleury chose to stay with the team, and then be exposed...knowing he would likely come to Vegas. That was a class move by Pittsburgh. Sure didn't see the same type of class showing up here in Vegas. Disappointing.

 

[NotPetya]

A cap move that is understandable, but the classless way the front office handled this is shameful. I recall when the Penguins knew they were facing a decision with how to part with Fleury, they discussed openly with him and gave him the respect due to a high character, hard working, seasoned professional....they asked him whether he wanted to be traded at the trade deadline, or stay on their roster through the playoffs and then be exposed in the expansion draft. Fleury chose to stay with the team, and then be exposed...knowing he would likely come to Vegas. That was a class move by Pittsburgh. Sure didn't see the same type of class showing up here in Vegas. Disappointing.

I’m not quite 70/30 in the same direction.

Considering how anyone with dial-up would have seen what the Kraken was to look like 5 hours before the draft if they knew what beat pages to spastically keep refreshing, I can’t say whether McCrimmon’s letting it happen like this or if certain reporters aren’t just quicker off of the mark.

Is it shitty to find out via Twitter? Yes. Still, unlike say…..Ryan Smyth- a guy who was en route to the expectation of an NMC in order to stick with Edmonton prior to the trade to Long Island, Fleury knew his no-trade list and knew he had a challenge to his 1A status in Vegas with a statistically similar, younger goalie on a lighter contract.

It could have been handled better, but none outside of the FO really knows whether the sequence of events was an intention outcome.

 

[LadyStanley]

 

[Super Cake]

Hopefully Fleury plays well, but i wouldn't be at all surprised to see the soon 37 year old struggle mightily behind that defense.

 

[Knightmare]

So many soccer moms on Twitter hopping off the VGK bandwagon. Good riddance. See ya.

 

[Super Cake]

So many soccer moms on Twitter hopping off the VGK bandwagon. Good riddance. See ya.

Those fans would have jumped off the bandwagon as soon as the team goes bad. So the sooner the better for these type of fans.

 

[Vegan Knight]

Are you telling me the retirement threat was just a ploy to drive away interest from other teams and tank the value we got, and he wasn't ever going to leave 6 million dollars on the table for eight months of work?

I'm shocked, shocked! Well, not that shocked.