Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury has waived his no-movement clause for the expansion draft, he confirmed Wednesday.
Every team has to expose one goalie to the Vegas Golden Knights, so now the Penguins can protect 23-year-old Matt Murray.
"The team came forward to me and asked. ... It gave them more [flexibility] for the future, for the summer, so they weren't scrambling to trade me," Fleury said, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
"I thought it was the right thing to help the team, to stay with the team and finish the season here and have a chance to play for the Cup again."
Although Vegas reportedly has interest in the two-time All-Star, Fleury's no-movement clause allows him to be traded to 18 teams, according to multiple reports, so the Penguins have options. Even if the Penguins traded him to a team in need of a proven goalie, like Calgary, they would have to make another goaltender available in the expansion draft.
Teams faced a 5 p.m. ET deadline on Monday to ask players to waive their no-movement clauses for the draft.
Fleury, 32, backstopped the Penguins to the 2009 Stanley Cup but was displaced by Murray in last year's run to the title. When Murray was hurt in warmups before the first game of the playoffs, Fleury stepped in for the next 14 games, leading the Pens past Presidents Trophy winner Washington in the second round.
In the conference finals, however, he struggled in Game 3 and was replaced by Murray. The youngster took the Penguins the rest of the way to the championship.
Fleury has two years remaining on his contract with a cap hit of $5.75 million per season.
