Tim Benz: Even staunch Marc-Andre Fleury supporters have to be glad this round of rumors about Pittsburgh return is over

While you are reading this post, keep in mind it is being written by someone who has been a Marc-Andre Fleury believer, defender and even occasional apologist.

That being said, I’m very happy Fleury re-signed with the Minnesota Wild on Thursday. Because the latest iteration of rumors conjuring up a return of Fleury to the Pittsburgh Penguins never made any sense to me, and I’m glad this kills them.

Elliotte Friedman advanced that notion a few weeks ago on the “Pat McAfee Show.” He did so again on Tuesday via his TSN podcast before Casey DeSmith signed a contract to stay in Pittsburgh. And Pierre LeBrun connected Pittsburgh as a potential destination for Fleury as recently as Thursday afternoon.

Long after DeSmith got an extension.

I’m not doubting those reporters were hearing such news. But I don’t understand why the Penguins would do it. So I’m glad that Fleury’s decision to stay in Minnesota to the tune of $7 million douses the conversation.

I felt that way even before the franchise decided to retain DeSmith on Tuesday. Back then, I just assumed that if DeSmith left, the Penguins would find someone that works even cheaper than his $1.8 million cap hit to back up Tristan Jarry.

Fleury doesn’t strike me as a guy who was worthy of floating as Jarry’s backup. He strikes me as a 1-B to Jarry’s 1-A. Or maybe the other way around if Jarry struggles early this season coming off of the foot injury which sidelined him during the first six games of last year’s postseason.

The Fleury-Matt Murray dynamic worked for a full year in 2017 because Murray had the cache and confidence from the organization (and the fan base) after a brilliant Stanley Cup run in 2016.

It wouldn’t have worked with Jarry. He has yet to do anything in the playoffs. Fleury won a Cup here as the starter. Another as a backup in the 2016 playoffs. And a third splitting time with Murray in 2017.

Anytime Jarry allowed a goal with Fleury in the wings, the “Fleury! Fleury! Fleury!” chants at PPG Paints Arena would’ve been deafening. It would have been a potentially toxic situation, even though Fleury has proven to be the most accessible goalie partner imaginable.

Prior to his late-season injury, Jarry was being positioned as both the franchise’s goalie of the present and the goalie of the future. A contract extension this offseason seems possible. The playoff exit this spring wasn’t his fault this year, even if it was in 2021 against the New York Islanders. And one of the chief explanations for why the Penguins blew a 3-1 series lead to the New York Rangers this postseason is because Jarry wasn’t in uniform.

So why change goalie philosophy now for one more kick at the can with Fleury?

What? Keeping Kris Letang and (potentially) Evgeni Malkin doesn’t pump out enough nostalgic, good vibes for this fan base? It needs Fleury too? I know Penguins fans want every day to be as warm and fuzzy as the Furry Convention, but give me a break.

I will say that I’m surprised that Fleury settled for just $3.5 million per year. I expected his average annual value against the salary cap to be steeper than that. In fact, he now has the same cap number as Jarry.

Perhaps, if the rumors are true, that’s why they originated. Maybe the Penguins were snooping around to see if anyone wanted to trade a fat return for Jarry, and then they could just plug in Fleury at roughly the same cap number and at an extra year if they perceived Fleury over Jarry to be an improvement, or even a lateral move.

If that’s the case, though, wouldn’t that undermine the alleged faith that the Penguins front office constantly insisted it had in Jarry? If Hextall was actually sniffing around at what it would take financially to get Fleury and what he could get in return for Jarry, that’s like saying, “Well, we like Jarry. But only if he’s the best answer we’ve got.”

Now, I guess we’ll never know. Much like we’ll never know what would’ve happened in that Rangers series if Jarry had played. But, boy, the way that the Penguins are “trying to keep the band together,” it sure indicates to me that the front office believes they would’ve won it had Jarry been between the pipes.

And, maybe, that they would’ve gone a round or two deeper.