Despite Being Blindsided By Trade News, Marc-Andre Fleury Will Be Playing For Blackhawks; Stan Bowman Says He Was Never Worried
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The Blackhawks recently got the good news that goalie Marc-Andre Fleury will play for them this season.
That wasn't a sure thing when the 'Hawks traded for the reigning Vezina winner, who needed some time to decide after being blindsided by the trade news.
But President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Stan Bowman said he was never worried.
"I really understood what he was going through – I mean, you're not expecting to be traded, when all of a sudden you get a phone call to say your life is changing and your family's life is changing. I think it would be difficult for any of us," Bowman said. "I mean, from everything I knew about Marc-Andre, he loves to play the game of hockey.
Bowman also pointed out that Fleury is universally loved by all his teammates, and he said we can still expect to see plenty of goalie Kevin Lankinen on the ice too.
The Blackhawks announced last week that they had acquired Fleury, a three-time Stanley Cup champion with the Pittsburgh Penguins before he joined the Vegas Golden Knights in 2017-18, in exchange for minor league forward Mikael Hakkarainen.
