Golden Knights' Owner Says Trade Involving Fleury Was Never Close

Tuesday, February 23, 2021


Vegas Golden Knights owner Bill Foley says a trade involving Marc-Andre Fleury was never even close.

This, despite all the rhetoric surrounding one during the offseason and into the beginning of 2021, after a drama-inducing tweet last summer. 

The tweet, from Fleury's agent Allan Walsh, showed the popular net minder being stabbed in the back with a sword bearing the name of Knights head coach Pete DeBoer. The incendiary photoshop image was published during last year's playoffs in the Edmonton bubble, one day before Robin Lehner made 26 saves for his first NHL playoff shutout in a 5-0 win over the Vancouver Canucks. 

Rumors about the trade eventually settled down after both Fleury and Walsh came out publicly to say he would like to stay put and that he is happy co-existing with Lehner. 


"I've spoken to his agent," Knights owner Foley said. "I had a long conversation... just about Flower and how respectful I am of his ability and what he’s done in his career. I didn’t say anything about the cartoon."

Fleury asked Walsh to remove the image and he complied. But the story didn't end there. As Lehner's ice time increased and Fleury's dwindled, rumours swirled about a trade that seemed to just make sense for a player who is still a number one goalie, and a team that is tight against the cap. 

But the trade never materialized. Partly because Foley is a big fan of Fleury. 

It's a good thing to - because Lehner has not played in seven games and the Flower has blossomed once again in his absence, posting a .942 save percentage and a 1.55 goals against average over 11 games this year.

"I'm glad I didn't go to the bubble with all that going on, Foley laughed while speaking to former NHLer Cam Janssen and Fox Sports' Andy Strickland on the Cam and Strick Podcast Feb. 22. 

"Flower and I are pretty close. I’ve been around he and his wife and we’ve had dinner together. He knows he can depend on me and rely upon me. So, I didn’t get involved in it."

What Foley did want to do was make sure the team had two number one goalies. 

"That was my goal," he said. "I wanted that depth in the goaltender position even though it really fouled up our cap." A move that is paying off in spades - however it has also lead to discussions around what players could be moved in order to find cap space. 


With Foley's well known infatuation with Fleury as a person and as a goalie, the hosts wondered if a trade 
was proposed involving Fleury that was then blocked by the owner. Foley denied this. 

I wouldn’t say that," he said. "I’d say there was discussions about a lot of different people in terms of trying to make cap space. They were just discussions, and the trades that were thrown around out there just made no sense.


So, he never came really close to being part of a deal and I would have had a big problem with it if that had been presented to me.


Foley then went on to share a story that possibly sheds some light on a part of where the angry Walsh tweet came from. 


The first night after the expansion draft, I was in the locker room with him and I had a beer with a couple of the guys. First I talked about how we’ll make the playoffs in three and Stanley Cup in six. And (Fleury) said ‘why should we wait?’ So I said 'good point.' 


"A few games later I saw him in the elevator with he and his wife and I said ‘you know, you’re going to retire here. You’re going to get to love Vegas and Vegas is going to love you.’  So I feel like I made a commitment to him.


Whether or not Walsh saw the move to bring in Lehner and allow him to take over the net as breaking that commitment is not known. 


When asked about Walsh's tweet during a media availability Aug. 22, 2020, Fleury said he suspected that his agent was just sticking up for him at a time when he found himself watching from the bench more than he was on the ice. 


“I really appreciate his passion for the game that he has," Fleury said. 


Photo by: Marc Sanchez/Icon Sportswire

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