Report: Pens' Fleury waives no-movement clause, could be a Vegas expansion pick

The Penguins' longtime goalie has apparently accepted the team's request to make himself available

If Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final was his last as a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins, then Marc-Andre Fleury went out in bittersweet fashion, watching from the bench as his successor helped Steel City capture its second successive championship.

Fleury, of course, played a vital role in Pittsburgh's run to the title series, not to mention the first of the Pens' three Stanley Cup wins in the Sidney Crosby-Evgeni Malkin era. But it does, in fact, seem more likely than not that he won't be playing any role for the repeat champs by the time the 2017-18 campaign rolls around.

A hot name floated at March's trade deadline, the longtime Pens goalie has waived the no-movement clause in his contract, according to reports from Las Vegas, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and TVA Sports.

Reportedly prompted by a request from the Penguins, that decision makes Fleury available to the upstart Vegas Golden Knights in this month's expansion draft.

Every player with a no-move clause can be asked by his team to waive his clause for the expansion draft. So Marc-André Fleury agreed.

— Renaud Lavoie (@renlavoietva) June 12, 2017

And it jibes with recent remarks from TSN's Frank Seravalli, who said after speaking with Fleury following the Pens' latest Stanley Cup Final triumph that "everyone knew that this was the end" for the veteran in Pittsburgh.

Fleury could still be traded by the Pens, too. And there's nothing that says the Golden Knights wouldn't also use the 32-year-old goalie as trade ammunition if they were to land his rights through the expansion draft, which will unfold for a TV audience after the fact on June 21.

In any regard, Fleury's time with Pittsburgh appears to be nearing its anticipated end.

From the NHL:

Fleury, who had nine Stanley Cup Playoff wins during the Penguins' run to their second straight Stanley Cup title, served as the backup to Matt Murray for Pittsburgh's final 10 playoff games. The Penguins, who can only protect one goalie for purposes of the expansion draft, needed Fleury to waive his no-movement clause to expose him to the Vegas Golden Knights. The request indicates the Penguins will choose to protect Murray over Fleury.