Golden Knights roster review: Marc-Andre Fleury

The Review-Journal presents its “Roster Review” series, which will examine each Golden Knights player’s current production and future outlook in alphabetical order. Thursday: Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury.

Background

Fleury long has been the Knights’ most important player.

He’s their face. Their heartbeat. Their rock. He’s a Hall of Fame-caliber goaltender who gave instant credibility to a fledgling expansion team and quickly became a major reason for its success. Little has changed since.

The Knights are 91-50-14 when Fleury starts (.632 points percentage) and 42-30-8 (.575) when he doesn’t. That’s the difference between having the fifth-best record in the NHL during that span and the 14th.

Their reliance on him has been a double-edge sword at times, however, and that has been plenty evident this season.

Performance

Fleury’s season, his first under a three-year, $21 million extension he signed in July 2018, has been a mixed bag.

His 27-16-5 record is strong. His other stats aren’t.

His .905 save percentage and 2.77 goals-against average are below his career norms of .913 and 2.57. His goals saved above average (-6.36) ranks 66th among 87 goaltenders, according to Natural Stat Trick.

His cap hit of $7 million, meanwhile, is tied for the fourth-highest in the league among goaltenders.

His circumstances make evaluating his play trickier. Fleury, at an age when other goalies slow down, is playing as much as ever. The 35-year-old has logged the fourth-most minutes in the league in the past two seasons, largely because the team has had little faith in his backups.

Rest could have served Fleury well at several points. Yet the team’s poor record without him — 17-19-5 the past two seasons before this season’s trade deadline — necessitated he play as often as possible.

Fleury also experienced personal tragedy when his father, Andre, died in November. He took a two-week leave of absence and skipped the All-Star Game in January.

Fleury looked more like himself afterward. He posted a 2.52 goals-against average after the break.

Future

Something else significant happened after the break for Fleury: The Knights acquired another goaltender.

Robin Lehner, a Vezina Trophy finalist last season, came from Chicago at the trade deadline. The two alternated starts for seven games before the season paused because of the coronavirus pandemic. The setup seemed to serve both well.

The only question is how sustainable it might be. Lehner is an unrestricted free agent this offseason and might be looking for a contract and role greater than what the Knights can offer if Fleury remains in place.

That could leave the team with plenty of questions. Can it count on Fleury carrying a heavy workload again if Lehner leaves? Is there another capable partner or successor? Or is Lehner, who ranked seventh in goals saved above average (12.72), too good to let walk, even if it means moving another contract?

Whatever the Knights do, it will be a fascinating window into their goaltending future. And how much they think Fleury’s inconsistent season was dictated by circumstance, or Father Time.

Contact Ben Gotz at bgotz@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BenSGotz on Twitter.