Ask anyone connected with the Vegas Golden Knights and they will tell you just how great Marc-Andre Fleury still is when it comes to his play on the ice. The NHL Network agrees.
Just a week after naming Fleury sixth in their Top 10 Goalies list, the NHL Network have now ranked the Vegas Golden Knights goalie as the No.45 best player currently playing in the NHL. Researchers, producers and on-air personalities helped to produce the list, which will continue right up until the regular season.
It is high praise indeed for Fleury who seems destined for the Hall of Fame once his playing days are over after carving out a glittering career, including winning three Stanley Cups with the Pittsburgh Penguins. And there is a good bet he could add a fourth championship with the Golden Knights before he decides to call it a day.
Some experts were of the opinion that Fleury was past his prime after being selected by Vegas in the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft, but he has proved those critics wrong time and time again with a string of impressive displays and a whole highlight reel of stellar plays.
10 down. 40 more to go.
— NHL Network (@NHLNetwork) September 3, 2019
How's the list looking so far? #NHLTopPlayers pic.twitter.com/vlCdimXgSv
He was at the peak of his powers in 2017-18 as the Golden Knights made history in their inaugural year, making it all the way to the Stanley Cup Final and breaking record after record after record. Fleury went 29-13-4 with a 2.24 Goals Against Average and a .927 Save Percentage.
The 34-year-old saved his best for last in the postseason, however, posting four shutouts with a 2.24 GAA and a .927 Sv%. He was lights out for large stretches of that run and proved that he’s still one of the elite goalies in the NHL.
And, although he endured a dip in his numbers last year, Fleury was still vital for the Golden Knights and he again showed his ability to bail his team out at any given moment. He finished 2018-19 with a record of 35-21-5 in 61 starts, recording a 2.51 Goals Against Average and a .913 Save Percentage with eight shutouts. Yes, you read that right, eight shutouts.
Fleury was solid enough in the playoffs against the San Jose Sharks despite being guilty of letting in a soft goal in Game 6 of the Western Conference First Round matchup, but he did finish the seven game series with one shutout and a 2.70 GAA and a .909 Sv%.
There is no doubt that Fleury will again have an instrumental role to play for the Golden Knights in 2019-20 as the franchise enters the year very much as a contender and looking to become the fastest expansion team in major sports history to win a championship.
Although he does have plenty of tread on the tyre and he has missed time with various injuries in each of the last two years, Fleury is still vintage Fleury when he’s at the top of his game and he’s capable of standing on his head and stealing games for his team.
That is exactly why the NHL Network have ranked Fleury as the No. 45 best player currently plying his trade in the majors. The goalie sits ahead of Vancouver Canucks phenom Elias Pettersson, Calgary Flames center Sean Monahan, Washington Capitals pivot Nicklas Backstrom, San Jose Sharks forward Logan Couture and defenseman Kris Letang of the Pittsburgh Penguins. Not bad company to keep at all.
Fleury wasn’t considered the best netminder in that list, however, with Boston Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask and Carey Price of the Montreal Canadiens coming in at No. 44 and No. 43 respectively. Buffalo Sabres Captain Jack Eichel and Taylor Hall of the New Jersey Devils round out the first part of the Top 50 Players in the NHL right now, with the second instalment of the feature to be revealed this coming Sunday.
It goes without saying that Marc-Andre Fleury will be remembered as one of the best goalies to have ever played in the NHL, and it says a lot about his longevity that he is still considered as one of the 50 best players in the league today, despite being 34-years-old and not being as durable as he once was.
However, as already mentioned, he’s got at least one more run in him and he will be critical to the Vegas Golden Knights’ hopes of embarking on a deep postseason run and lifting the Stanley Cup. If he can help to bring a championship back to Sin City, then there is no doubt that he could be higher on this list this time next year.