Marc-André Fleury’s Hall of Fame career has another milestone.
The netminder started the Minnesota Wild’s game on Saturday morning, helping them to a comeback 4-3 overtime victory over the Detroit Red Wings. That game also happened to be Fleury’s 1,045 games played, surpassing Roberto Luongo for sole possession of second all-time.
Fleury has had a sensational NHL career as he was the last netminder to be picked first overall all the way back in the 2003 draft. He made his debut with the Pittsburgh Penguins the same season, posting an .896 save percentage and a 3.64 goals against average in 21 games.
He became an NHL regular in 2005-06 with the Penguins, eventually winning the Stanley Cup with the team in 2008-09, as well as back-to-back Stanley Cups with the team in 2016 and 2017. Fleury was picked in the expansion draft by the Vegas Golden Knights, with the netminder helping them make the Stanley Cup Finals in their first season.
In 2020-21, he won his only Vezina Trophy with the Golden Knights, posting a .928 save percentage and a 1.98 goals against average in 36 games during the 56-game season. The netminder was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks before the 2021-22 season and was traded again before the trade deadline to the Minnesota Wild before the trade deadline, where he’s played since.
This season, the Flower has a .910 save percentage and a 2.58 goals against average in 20 games with the Wild as they look like legitimate post-season contenders.
If you’re wondering who Fleury needs to pass for the most netminder games, it’s none other than Martin Brodeur, who played 1,266 games in what was a lengthy career with the New Jersey Devils.

Jets extend Vladislav Namestnikov to two-year deal

On Saturday morning, it was reported that the Winnipeg Jets and centre Vladislav Namestnkov agreed to a two-year deal worth $6 million, or $3 million annually.
Selected late in the first round of the 2011 draft by the Tampa Bay Lightning, Namestnikov started his NHL career in 2013-14 where he played four games.  He split his 2014-15 season between the NHL and American Hockey League, before becoming a regular in 2015-16. 
The Russian centre’s best season came in his final season (in his first stint) with the Lightning, scoring 20 goals and 44 points in 62 games, along with two goals and four points in 19 games with the New York Rangers.
Since the 2018-19 season, Namestnikov has played for six different teams, the Rangers, Ottawa Senators, Colorado Avalanche, Detroit Red WIngs, Dallas Stars, Lightning, and Jets. Last season, he scored 11 goals and 37 points with the Jets and has followed it up with 10 goals and 29 points in 52 games this season.

Kraken’s Jordan Eberle returns on Saturday

The Seattle Kraken will get some help on Saturday evening, as captain Jordan Eberle is set to return to the lineup after a 40-game absence.
Eberle played just 17 games this season, scoring six goals and 11 points in 17 games before his hip injury. It’s been a big loss for the Kraken as they sit well out of a post-season spot with a 24-29-4 record and 52 points, nine back of the Vancouver Canucks.
For his career, Eberle has 305 goals and 713 points in 1,035 games, spending seven seasons with the Edmonton Oilers and four seasons with the New York Islanders and Kraken.
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