Reigning Vezina Trophy winner Marc-Andre Fleury has agreed to play for the Chicago Blackhawks this season after his trade, a person with knowledge of the situation told USA TODAY Sports.
The person requested anonymity because Fleury hasn’t made the decision public.
Fleury, who played the last four seasons with the Vegas Golden Knights, was dealt to the Blackhawks on July 27 for minor league forward Mikael Hakkarainen.
He had told the Golden Knights that he wanted to stay in Las Vegas because his family enjoyed the city. After the trade, he wanted to discuss the situation with his family, and they will join him in Chicago. He’s expected to go to the city to meet with the Blackhawks organization and check out the area.
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The Blackhawks’ Twitter account dropped hints about the decision Sunday by tweeting an emoji of a flower, Fleury’s nickname.
Fleury, 36, was voted the top goaltender last season after going 26-10 with a 1.98 goals-against average and .928 save percentage. He and Robin Lehner shared the Williams Jennings Trophy for the lowest team goals-against average.
In Chicago, he’ll bolster a revamped team that added defensemen Seth Jones, Caleb Jones and Jake McCabe and forwards Tyler Johnson and Jujhar Khaira. Captain Jonathan Toews also plans to return from a season-long ailment.
Fleury, who ranks third in all-time victories (492) and has won three Stanley Cups, has one year left on a contract that pays him $7 million this year.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Blackhawks’ Marc-Andre Fleury agrees to play for Chicago after trade