No, getting rid of Marc-André Fleury and protecting Matt Murray in the expansion draft was not the wrong move. That opinion is fraudulent. Fleury is more than a decade older. His cap hit at the time trumped that of Murray. The right move was made.

Once the Las Vegas Golden Knights made the playoffs in season one, it was assumed that the Pittsburgh Penguins and Golden Knights would meet in the Stanley Cup Final to rightfully crown the superior goalie. That never happened. While the Golden Knights actually did make the Stanley Cup Final that year, it was the Capitals who ousted the Penguins and rode that momentum to Alex Ovechkin’s first championship.

Fleury’s presence as the Golden Knights star was undeniable. Comfortable with the spotlight or not, Fleury gave everything he had to his new franchise. They were that close to doing the impossible, never mind the unthinkable.

Ever since then? Things haven’t gone so well.

Team wise, the Golden Knights have made it to the Western Conference Finals in all three seasons of their existence. However, Fleury primarily rode the pine watching Robin Lehner take his job. Not just in the short term, but it appears the long term, too.

Fleury’s struggles coupled with his high salary cap figure have prompted the Knights to begin moving in a new direction. Everyone has seen the since-deleted tweet by now from Fleury’s agent, Allan Walsh. He photoshopped a picture of a sword stabbing Fleury in the back with “DeBoer” inscribed on it. Peter DeBoer is the head coach of the Golden Knights.

It appears Fleury may be a trade candidate in the offseason. If no team is willing to take on a 35-year old goalie with a $7 million cap hit for the next two seasons, Vegas could buy him out.

Tristan Jarry should be the man with zero doubt

Bringing Fleury back to Pittsburgh sounds appealing to the casual fan. However, a reunion should not be pursued for either side.

Ever since the call-up of Murray during the 2015 season, the Penguins have not had a steady number one goaltender. Sure, for stretches, one of Fleury, Murray or Tristan Jarry have gotten hot and seized the spot for a limited time. But none of them took the job and made it theirs undoubtedly for the course of a season.

Jarry, a former first-round pick, seemed destined to take Fleury’s spot one day. It was Murray who broke AHL records and made goaltending look easy early in his career. However, he’s beginning to show what he truly might be and that is an average goaltender who was a flash in the pan. Jarry’s pedigree says he could be legit. However, with goalies, it is really hard to tell.

Last season, Jarry earned the chance to be the team’s goalie of the future. If he truly is the real deal, the Penguins are in luck. In that case, there is no reason to bring in any type of threat to his position among the depth chart.

Marc-Andre Fleury: SIXTH-WINNINGEST GOALIE IN NHL HISTORY!!!! #VegasBorn

pic.twitter.com/J0lgW2AQcB

— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) December 31, 2019

How would a Fleury reunion be received?

The fan base seems to be clamoring for Fleury to don the No. 29 in the goal crease again. As cool of a story as that would be, the team dynamic might be affected.

Fleury’s friendship with guys like Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang is obviously important. However, Jarry is the young prodigy who has long awaited his chance to be the guy. Before last season, it looked as though Jarry’s chance would come with a team that wasn’t Pittsburgh. Rutherford couldn’t find any takers at the price they felt was necessary and rightfully held on to Jarry’s services.

Forget the team for a second, though. Put yourself in Jarry’s shoes.

How would you feel if the team finally gave you the reigns to the goal crease and then decided to sign the former franchise goalie back basically out of respect and not based on performance? It would totally feel like a slap in the face. Are they saying you aren’t good enough? Are they telling you that they need to sign an insurance policy incase you fail?

Let’s be real, Casey DeSmith is in a very similar situation. Last season, he signed an NHL deal presumably to be Murray’s backup. Because they put themselves in a cap crunch, DeSmith was sent to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton before the season. It seemed Jarry was there just as a cap placeholder. However, Jarry went to the all-star game and forced management to keep him in Pittsburgh.

Assuming Murray is gone, DeSmith is likely going to get the backup job. In good faith, that should be the decision. DeSmith was obviously upset about the situation last season. Would the Penguins be willing to do that to him again by adding Fleury?

There are many layers to it.

Fleury’s production doesn’t warrant the headache

It’s okay to admit what’s done is done. Revisiting the past isn’t necessary in this situation. If we really want to get the band back together, why don’t we trade for Nick Bonino again. Maybe even Carl Hagelin. I hear Jordan Staal and Tyler Kennedy are looking to come back to Pittsburgh, too.

Living in the past isn’t going to win games for you in the future. Jarry and DeSmith are a very capable duo.

Not to mention, how would the Penguins fit Fleury’s contract in under the salary cap? He’s due to make $7 million for two more seasons. He is aging and has proven that unless he plays the lion share of games, his numbers tend to take a hit. He is a goalie that relies largely on playing time to be at his best. In Pittsburgh, he won’t be that anymore.

Even if Vegas bought out Fleury, he’d still ask for a salary figure that would be more of a luxury to the Penguins than a necessity. The Penguins have many more problems than a backup goaltender. Especially when they have one signed to an NHL contract right now on the relative cheap.

I’ve been as big of a Fleury supporter through the years as anyone. Between his playoff meltdowns, his status of being a first overall pick as a goaltender and his charming personality through the most trying of times, I was there to defend him.

He is still an icon and the best goalie in Penguins history. Once you move on, it’s best to just stay away.

If the Penguins one day want to sign him to a one-day deal to retire as a Penguin, I’m all for it. They want to hang his No. 29 in the rafters? Fine. But to add Fleury to the 2020-21 Penguins isn’t going to make them any better than they’d be without him. In all truth, it would do more harm than good.

It’s hard to ignore all that Fleury has accomplished in his career. But it’s time to formally move on.

Congratulations to the Penguins video staff!

On Saturday, the video team won seven @EmmyMidAtlantic Awards, including one for Sidney Crosby and one for Matt Cullen. This is Sidney Crosby's second Emmy Award.

Details: https://t.co/xPU75Roeou pic.twitter.com/jWAlwIdFGr

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) September 21, 2020

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