MAF Waived NMC in February only to move to Vegas

[BattleBorn]

Word coming out on SiriusXM NHL Network Radio right now. I'm sure twitter will follow.

Looks like we've got out goaltender.

Click to read more...

 

[BattleBorn]

And some tweets:

 

[Mike Jones]

Good for Fleury (On more than one level).

The Knights could do a lot worse than build their expansion team around him.

 

[Soundgarden]

Awesome, starting out on a good note.

 

[Nordiques1979]

Great addition, probably 6he best starter an expansion team ever had at the beginning.

 

[Soundgarden]

Great addition, probably 6he best starter an expansion team ever had at the beginning.

Probably 2nd after Vanbiesbrouck, but still for a team just starting out building from the net out is probably the best option and getting an experienced vet who can still be a starter like Fleury is a great get.

 

[Blue Goose]

MAF waiving for the expansion draft only means that he fulfills the Penguins exposure requirement and doesn't need to be bought out (and they can protect Murray).

 

[Blue Goose]

 

[BattleBorn]

Wouldn't his NMC come along with him if the Knights select him?

 

[Mike Jones]

If he's agreed to waive for Vegas he probably wants to stay there - especially if his wife has already checked it out.

Instead of following the money in situations like these we should follow the spouses and partners instead.

But only to a certain point. My lawyer keeps telling me that stalking is bad.

 

[Blue Goose]

Wouldn't his NMC come along with him if the Knights select him?

What's getting lost in the whole Fleury scenario is that his NMC only prevents him from being sent to the AHL or chosen in the expansion draft. The NMC doesn't prevent any trades - that's because his contract also has a Modified No Trade Clause, which says he can still be traded to 18 different teams, based on a list he provides every July 1.

 

[Big McLargehuge]

Wouldn't his NMC come along with him if the Knights select him?

FWIW Fleury has a modified NTC that allows him to list 18 teams that he would accept a trade to that is submitted before the start of each season, and I don't believe the mNMC is affected by this in any way, shape, or form by this. The NMC that was waived for the expansion draft is barely a NMC in the sense that it literally only prevents him to be loaned to another league (aka sent to the AHL), which isn't something that was going to happen one way or another with Fleury on this contract. It was basically a completely unnecessary extra level of security for a veteran who left money on the table when the contract was signed, and something that nobody could have foreseen being an issue when it was signed.

I figured the writing was on the wall about this since the trade deadline, the way Rutherford was acting really only made sense if he had that level of assurance, but it hasn't set in yet.

You guys are going to love Fleury, if things play out as expected. Yes, he has his weaknesses, but he's a damn solid goalie top ~15 goalie who is beloved by basically everyone who meets him. He's a great guy, a veteran who has been in every situation, and I mean...look at how he played in the playoffs after what could not have been an easy year for him. Obviously he's not someone you're going to watch start for the long-term future, but you're not going to do better in the next year or two and he'll regain his lost trade value just by not having the specter of the expansion draft making goalie trades absurdly difficult.

edit: Sir Goose sniped me on the mNTC part, good show.

 

[Vegas Mac]

Fleury's dip in save percentage during this season does concern me a bit, given his age, but he did raise the bar in the playoffs. So I'm good with them bringing him in. He will bring some calm leadership on the back end, which should mesh well with the quality of blueline options that look to be available in the expac draft.

Nothing's really changed though. Vegas was always going to be very solid in goal, and their backup should be excellent as well, given how this thing is set up.

 

[Mike Jones]

Fleury's dip in save percentage during this season does concern me a bit, given his age, but he did raise the bar in the playoffs.

If Fleury achieves something like a .910 save percentage I think the Knights will be happy. He can only carry the team so far - if the Knights are to succeed the rest of the team will have to carry their fair share of the load too.

 

[Empoleon8771]

Please treat him well, you're getting a great goalie that's an even better person. I'm genuinely surprised he was willing to waive his NMC, I found it such a best case scenario for the Penguins that I didn't think he'd do it.

 

[Blue Goose]

You guys are going to love Fleury, if things play out as expected. Yes, he has his weaknesses, but he's a damn solid goalie top ~15 goalie who is beloved by basically everyone who meets him. He's a great guy, a veteran who has been in every situation, and I mean...look at how he played in the playoffs after what could not have been an easy year for him. Obviously he's not someone you're going to watch start for the long-term future, but you're not going to do better in the next year or two and he'll regain his lost trade value just by not having the specter of the expansion draft making goalie trades absurdly difficult.

I think that's my issue - he'll hold much more value to a team like Calgary, Winnipeg or Philly than he will to us. Spending a year or two playing for an expansion team - while getting two years older - isn't really going to increase his value. That's why I'd be totally fine with picking him in the expansion draft, but flipping him immediately afterward. There are other goalies who can help groom Grubauer (if he's taken by LV), and I'd rather see Fleury succeed elsewhere. He seems like a good dude and a great teammate - why let him flounder on an expansion team?

 

[Zen Arcade]

Fleury's dip in save percentage during this season does concern me a bit, given his age, but he did raise the bar in the playoffs. So I'm good with them bringing him in. He will bring some calm leadership on the back end, which should mesh well with the quality of blueline options that look to be available in the expac draft.

Nothing's really changed though. Vegas was always going to be very solid in goal, and their backup should be excellent as well, given how this thing is set up.

As a Pens fan, I think his issue in the regular season was that he was out of rhythm from not starting as much as he was used to.

 

[BattleBorn]

Here's some Sinbin on the MAF news:

http://sinbin.vegas/lets-talk-maf-baby/

Despite what has been reported, there are now three outcomes that can come from the Expansion Draft involving Fleury.

The Golden Knights select someone else from Pittsburgh.
The Golden Knights select him and keep him.
The Golden Knights select him, and trade him to one of the 18 available teams on his NTC, or get his approval to trade him to one of the remaining 11.

 

[Boris Zubov]

Can't see option 3 happening, unless Vegas retains a hefty chunk of his salary.

I get the feeling if we select him, we want him to be the #1 goalie.

 

[The Old Master]

Can't see option 3 happening, unless Vegas retains a hefty chunk of his salary.

I get the feeling if we select him, we want him to be the #1 goalie.

there are teams in the east that the pen's won't trade maf to.......but i'm sure that lv won't have that problem. if that's something they want.

 

[Boris Zubov]

there are teams in the east that the pen's won't trade maf to.......but i'm sure that lv won't have that problem. if that's something they want.

That's quite possible. I just can't see anyone taking on his contract without the Knights retaining some of it.

 

[The Old Master]

That's quite possible. I just can't see anyone taking on his contract without the Knights retaining some of it.

maf is making a fair amount for a starting goalie with his qualification's. no reason to retain anything. imo

 

[Boris Zubov]

maf is making a fair amount for a starting goalie with his qualification's. no reason to retain anything. imo

Cheaper options available, IMO. Raanta would be a steal for the Knights at $1M this year. They could extend him during the year if he plays like he did the past two seasons.

 

[Ginormousthumbs]

Hopefully he doesn't end up here.

 

[Ginormousthumbs]

I feel like there's some kind of deal in place for Fleury for him to make himself available.