*Photo from The Rink Live*
One more year, the ride into the sunset begins. Goalie Marc-Andre Fleury and the Minnesota Wild have agreed to a one year, $2.5 million contract extension, according to an announcement by Fleury and the Wild.
The contract pays him $2.5 million entirely in base salary and doesn't contain incentives. He gets a full no movement clause as well. In the announcement of his extension, Fleury also said next year will be his last in the NHL.
Fleury said "I would say early things were a little tough for the team, for me personally. I really thought this was going to be it. As the year went on, start winning a bit more, start having some fun a bit more. Still love to compete, love to battle with the guys out there and it’s what’s ultimately driving me to keep living the dream and go for one more. A lot of guys have said, guys I know, play as long as you can. If you stop too early you regret it. I'm very lucky to have the support that the Wild are giving me to stick around for one more."
The Wild failing to make the playoffs this season ended a 17 year streak of Fleury's teams making the playoffs. He is a 3 time Stanley Cup champion and even at age 39 is just a few years removed from winning the Vezina trophy.
Fleury is wrapping up his second full season with the Wild this year. He has a 2.98 GAA and .895 save percentage on the season, recording two shutouts and authoring a 17-14-5 record in 35 starts and 39 total appearances.
Minnesota GM Bill Guerin said of Fleury returning that "It’s too soon for him to retire. That’s my personal view. Coming from experience, you don’t want to leave anything on the table. Because when you walk away, when you walk out the door, they don’t let you back in. It's very tough. So play as long as you can. I'm really happy that he's decided to play again."
During this season, Fleury reached 1,000 games played, the 4th goalie to ever do so. He has the second most wins ever by a goalie and can play the second most games in league history by a goalie if he gets at least 21 appearances. He has won at least one game against every NHL team and is a 4 time All Star.
The Wild also have two goalies under contract for next year in addition to Fleury. Filip Gustavsson will be entering the second year of a contract that pays him $3.75 million annually, while Jesper Wallstedt is due $1.35 million in the final year of his current contract.
The Wild wrap up their season on Thursday against the Seattle Kraken, with Fleury slated to get the start in goal.
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