The Pittsburgh Penguins are willing to pay up.
If the Penguins are unable to deal goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury prior to the summer expansion draft, the team will turn to a buyout, Bob McKenzie told NBC Sports.
With the entrance of the Vegas Golden Knights, each team can protect seven forwards, three defensemen, and one netminder from the expansion pool, or a combination of eight skaters plus a goalie.
For the Penguins, that means keeping young goalie Matt Murray in the fold over Fleury.
Fleury has been a steady presence for the Penguins, but it's hard to argue with Murray. The 22-year-old made his NHL debut last season, and has lost just six times through 33 regular season games. Not to mention last spring's Stanley Cup run, in which Murray posted 15 wins and a .923 save percentage.
The complication is Fleury's contract.
The 32-year-old is signed through the next two seasons at a reasonable $5.75-million cap hit, but a 12-team no-trade list can dictate where he is traded to, not to mention if he's willing to waive it to spend the final years of his career with an expansion club.
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