Capitals trading for Marc-Andre Fleury would not make sense

One of the hottest rumors over the course of the last few months is the Washington Capitals swinging for the fences at a veteran goalie at the upcoming trade deadline. We are 10 days away and the rumors are only going to heat up even more just as much as the Caps have heated up on the ice.

One such rumor is that the Caps are putting the full court press on Marc-Andre Fleury. I say this to the Caps, don’t do it. Leave him alone. This is much different than trading for Carl Hagelin or acquiring Conor Sheary. There’s something about this team and acquiring former Pittsburgh Penguins.

One name that some of my friends think the Caps should go for is Semyon Varlamov. I, myself, am open to a Braden Holtby reunion but would be OK with a Varly one too. But they should absolutely stay away from Fleury.

One thing I hear from other Caps fans is how this team is so old. Stanley Cup winning teams have to have a mixture of young and old players alike all competing for a common goal. What would trading for a 37 year old goaltender do except make the team’s reaction time even slower when the opposition is putting up shots?

Fleury is 18-20-4 with the Chicago Blackhawks. They’re a struggling team and will likely ship Fleury to a contending team. He’s got a 2.92 goals against average and a .908 save percentage.

Ilya Samsonov is 17-9-4 with a 2.96 goals against average and a .901 save percentage. He stopped 36 of 40 shots the other night in Edmonton against the Oilers and kept the Caps in the game.

Vitek Vanecek is 13-7-5 with a 2.32 goals against average and a .919 save percentage. He made 31 stops off 35 shots in a win over the Calgary Flames. Perhaps both are either competing for that spot to remain on the Caps or increase their trade value? It’s a tough decision.

During the Caps game against the Oilers, which was broadcasted in front of a national audience on TNT, NHL insider Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet said during the first intermission that the team hasn’t given up on Fleury even though he is kind of hesitating because he considers himself a Penguin.

Friedman said:

“I don’t think it’s impossible that Washington goes after Fleury. They’ve been interested in him for a while and I think they’re still interested in him. I think the biggest question there is: how does Fleury feel about playing for the Washington Capitals? He was a Penguin for a long time. He still identifies a lot as a Penguin. That’s a bit of a bridge for him to cross. I think the other thing is, and this is purely my opinion, that Marc-Andre Fleury, I think he still wants to play and I think that at some point in time he might want to think about ending his career as a member of the Penguins and if he goes to Washington, would that even be possible.”

Now STOP right there! Fandom bias aside I feel like the Caps are one of the most tight knit groups in the whole NHL. Fleury considers himself a Penguin still even though he’s had stops in Vegas and now Chicago. There is a notable rivalry with Alex Ovechkin? Would the two even get along in the locker room?

That’s why I couldn’t quite want to risk it with Fleury. Go for Varlamov or Holtby, someone who you know can get the job done and would want to be in the organization. It’s bad enough the team has wasted some prime years of Ovi’s career with rookie head coaches and oddball goaltending situations (other than like Holtby and a rookie Varlamov).