The Penguins are looking to deal Marc-Andre Fleury before deadline, per report

The Pittsburgh Penguins have quite a predicament on their hands. As the reigning Stanley Cup champions, you expect they’re going to ice their best team in order to repeat as the NHL’s best. The problem? The Penguins have two very competent goaltenders in Marc-Andre Fleury and Matt Murray, and the NHL has an expansion draft coming up in a little less than five months.

Also on the horizon? The NHL trade deadline at the start of March. So, it’s no surprise rumblings are starting to come out of Pittsburgh as to what the Penguins’ management is going to do to remedy their situation.

Late last week, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette published an article with some insightful quotes from Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford. Emphasis, obviously, is ours:

Rutherford reiterated the idea that the Penguins’ two-goalie rotation with Matt Murray and Marc-Andre Fleury “doesn’t work ideally” when both are healthy.

So far this season, both have dealt with injuries and the other has generally played well when forced into extended duty. But when both goalies are available, Rutherford realizes both Fleury and Murray — rightly — see themselves as No. 1 goalies, and want to be in the net.

“It’s been good to have those two goalies to get us to where we are,” Rutherford said. “Are we going to be able to hold onto that? We’ll just have to see how that plays out. It becomes more difficult as the season goes along for the coach to keep both guys happy.”

Later down in the piece, Rutherford says there’s no pressure to change the team just yet, but if a deal from another team makes sense he’d consider it. So, basic general manager speak as Rutherford and crew keep their cards close to their chests.

Also getting a read on the situation was ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun, who had his own conversation with Rutherford and came away with a similar deduction.

Fleury has a no-move clause, but I think it’s clear he would welcome a trade to a good situation. The question is whether a market opens up before March 1. Will teams like the Dallas Stars, St. Louis Blues, Winnipeg Jets or Calgary Flames decide they need to trade for a goalie?

I think it’s obvious that the Penguins would rather deal Fleury before March 1 than wait until the offseason, but that decision may be out of their hands.

That’s the crux of the debate right there: Should the Penguins deal one of their star goaltenders before the deadline, or ride both and potentially lose one for nothing to Las Vegas at the expansion draft?

Fleury, 32, is the more likely of the pair to be shipped off by the deadline. Murray represents the future of the Penguins in net and already has a hand in bringing a Stanley Cup to Pittsburgh at 22 years old. Homegrown goaltenders are hard to produce within a system and even harder to find on the market, so moving a centerpiece like Murray this young would be a disastrous move on the Penguins’ part.

Even so, Fleury is a very viable goaltender. He has been the Penguins’ starter for the last 11 seasons and also helped Pittsburgh win a Stanley Cup in 2009. The Penguins’ organization has every right to be loyal to Fleury, but at what cost? Only one goaltender can be protected in the upcoming expansion draft, and it’s more than likely Murray will get the nod.

Which begs the question: How much do the Penguins value Fleury? It’s clear Rutherford feels it’s hard to keep both goaltenders happy, and that moving Fleury before the deadline would be best for both sides. Fleury could fill the starting role in a playoff contender like the Stars or the Blues right away, or be a part of a young future in Winnipeg or Calgary. The Penguins would get a healthy return for Fleury and be freed of their biggest expansion draft problem.

The only downside? A trade clearly makes the Penguins a worse team, and Pittsburgh has had real injury problems at the goaltender position over the last few years. Yet, it’s a choice that will have to be made given the expansion draft, should the market be willing.