Was This Former Vezina Trophy Winning Goalie's Trade Timely?

Yet, he was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks in July of 2021, and then traded to the Minnesota Wild in March of this year.

At 38 years-old, he may have reached his peak. When looking at his stats, it makes one wonder if his career is all but over.

He holds a 1-1-1 record with a lofty 5.25 goals-against-average and a less than acceptable .847 save percentage.

It hasn't helped that the team in front of him has been awful defensively. The Wild are dead last in goals allowed with a 5.40 average per game. Still, the season is young, and things could turn around.

In retrospect, did the Vegas Golden Knights trade Fleury at the optimal time? It certainly seems that way. While the trade was shocking to most NHL fans, the Vegas team operates with its own survival as a top priority.

This is a team who also traded Max Pacioretty and Jack Eichel. They have always been in cap space trouble which complicates keeping key players on the roster. They swing for the fences and think about the consequences later.

For now, time will tell if Fleury will survive the 2022-23 season. There is onlu one direction to go and that is... up.

While it seems callous to admit that Vegas did the right thing by trading him, he certainly didn't receive the respect of a veteran player who gave his everything. Without him the Golden Knights would have never made it to the Stanley Cup Final in their initial season.

Fleury is a consummate professional and deserved better. Such is life in the NHL.