Jim Rutherford is known for saying the quiet part out loud, and the former Pittsburgh Penguins general manager did exactly that on Josh Yohe’s 2 For Talking Podcast. Among the topics he covered was Marc-Andre Fleury, and Rutherford revealed that a reunion with the franchise goalie came much closer than most fans ever realized.
Rutherford said he tried to bring Fleury back after the goaltender had been in Vegas for a while, and that talks advanced far enough to feel real.
"I tried to get him back after he was in Vegas for a little bit," Ruther admitted."We actually got to a point that it got real close but it never happened."
The timing points back to the 2021 offseason, when the Golden Knights were dealing with cap issues and the Penguins were looking for help in net. Fleury had already spent four seasons with Vegas after being left exposed in the expansion draft, and Pittsburgh made a push to see whether a return could be worked out. It never got over the finish line, and Fleury was eventually dealt to the Blackhawks.
At that point, the Penguins were still being viewed as a playoff team, but the shine on their Cup hopes was fading. Their core was getting older, and they had not looked like true championship threats since 2018. Rutherford, though, was still willing to make aggressive moves and had never shied away from investing in goaltending.
Vegas had put Fleury on the trade block because of the cap squeeze, and Robin Lehnr had taken over the top job there. That made Fleury one of the easier names to move that summer. Pittsburgh checked in, but they were not the only team interested before Chicago ended up with him.
It is the kind of near-miss that keeps Penguins fans thinking about what might have been. Fleury returning to Pittsburgh would have been a headline-grabbing story and a crowd-pleasing reunion, especially with Tristan Jarry still emerging as the younger option in goal. Fleury might have formed a strong tandem with him and given the Penguins extra cover in the postseason.
Even so, the move would have been more about the feel-good factor than changing the team’s ceiling. It would have brought good publicity and one more chapter in a familiar partnership, but not necessarily a path back to true contender status. The reunion never happened, and Fleury remains the beloved icon who nearly came home one more time.
In Other News...
Penguins Suddenly Have A Worrying Injury Question At Center
Ben Kindel gave the Penguins a promising look in Mondays preseason game against the Sabres, skating on a line with Bryan Rust and Andrei Kuzmenko before the night took an unwelcome turn. Pittsburgh said the center left after the first period because of a lower-body injury, cutting short what had been a strong start to the evening.
The immediate concern for the Penguins is less about one preseason game than what Kindels absence could mean for a spot that is already worth watching closely. There was no update on the severity of the injury, leaving the team and the player in a familiar early-season holding pattern while they wait to learn whether this is a brief setback or something more disruptive. [Read more 🡒]
Penguins Camp Battle Already Took An Early Turn Fans Wont Like
The first night of Penguins preseason hockey offered the usual early-camp mix of promise and uncertainty, with Pittsburgh handling the Sabres while a few players made strong first impressions. It was the sort of opener that can help shape how a roster battle looks in late September, especially when coaches are sorting through young players, depth pieces and the first few signs of who is ready to push for a spot.
But the game also brought an immediate setback, with Ben Kindel exiting the picture after an injury report surfaced. For a camp that was already set to be defined by competition, that development adds a layer of frustration before the battle really settles in, and it leaves the Penguins watching closely to see how quickly the situation changes and what it means for the rest of the lineup race. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jackets Suddenly Have A Dante Fabbro Concern To Watch
Preseason has already started to test Pittsburghs depth, with forward Benjamin Kindel leaving Mondays game early because of a lower-body injury after the team announced his exit. The Penguins have also had to manage winger Ville Koivunen, who was hurt in practice when he took a puck to the face and then missed the next preseason game, underscoring how quickly training camp can get messy before the games even count.
Around the division, the injury pileup has not been limited to Pittsburgh, either. New York Rangers forward Adam Sykora also left his preseason game with an injury, and Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Dante Fabbro suffered one of his own during preseason action, adding another layer of concern for a team that would much rather be sorting out lineup decisions than watching the injury report this early. [Read more 🡒]