Anytime a Penguins blurb is mentioned in Elliotte Friedman’s 31 Thoughts column, it makes you stop and wonder if something could be happening.
This week’s version was not any different.
24. It would take a buyout, which I’m not sure Vegas wants to do in this economy, but would anyone really be surprised to see a Marc-Andre Fleury/Tristan Jarry tandem in Pittsburgh?
Under Jim Rutherford, I don’t think anything would be classified as surprising, but this would be quite the doozy.
First of all, it would signify a Matt Murray trade, which we know has been the chatter as of lately. Whether anything comes of it is yet to be seen.
Secondly, it would require Vegas to buy out the remaining two years of Fleury’s contract with a $7M AAV cap hit.
A buyout would count for between $2 million and $3 million per year on the cap for the Golden Knights if they were to do so.
Lastly, it would require the reunion to take place and the Penguins signing Fleury at a cheap cost.
There are a lot of moving parts, but it would sure be interesting.