- The Washington Times - Monday, March 28, 2022

If it wasn’t true before, it is now: Marc-Andre Fleury will never have to pay for a beer in Pittsburgh ever again.

Leading up to the NHL trade deadline, the rumor mill consistently connected the goaltender-needy Capitals to Fleury. But the reports were always clouded with the challenge the Capitals would face in pulling off a deal for the former Penguins netminder, as Fleury was reportedly not willing to play in Washington out of loyalty for his time in Pittsburgh. 

The rumors about his hesitancy to play for his once-rival were true, Fleury confirmed during an interview on TNT Sunday night. 

“It just didn’t seem right,” Fleury said. 

The Capitals didn’t trade for a goaltender, and Fleury was instead shipped off by Chicago to the Minnesota Wild.

According to The Athletic’s Tarik El-Bashir, Fleury said on TNT that he respects the Capitals organization but wasn’t interested in playing in D.C. due to his 13-year stint as the Penguins’ goalie, during which he helped lead the team to three Stanley Cups. 

Helping the Capitals’ decision to stick with their current goaltending duo of Vitek Vanecek and Ilya Samsonov was the former’s improved play leading up to the deadline. The Capitals won six straight games with Vanecek in net during the first two weeks of March. The 26-year-old has taken over as the team’s starter after Samsonov held that role for much of the winter. 

Fleury, meanwhile, made his debut for the Wild on Saturday — a 3-2 Minnesota win over Columbus. 

• Jacob Calvin Meyer can be reached at jmeyer@washingtontimes.com.

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