Edmonton Oilers reportedly still pursuing legendary goalie after retirement

Fleury is retired, and attempts to change his mind have thus far been unsuccessful. For the Oilers, Fleury offers a unique opportunity and is worth pursuing even if the younger Bowman is turned down every time. There are no real alternatives, considering the cap issues and lack of assets to trade for an upgrade.

Still, there's a story here worth pursuing. Sometimes the desire goes away, the player retires, and the spark returns.

Fleury is an all-time legend, and the Oilers are a team in search of glory. It's a perfect fit.

- Allan Mitchell

Fleury has finally hung up the skates and pads at 40 years old after 1052 NHL games. His last season in Minnesota was clearly a goodbye tour, and it looks very likely he'll stay in retirement.

His resume speaks for itself as a 3-time Cup Champion, Vezina winner, and likely the last goalie to play 1000 games. However, his last two seasons were the only years in his career where his play began to drop, and his save percentage fell below .900 for the first time since his rookie year.

That said, Fleury has the experience and ability that's extremely attractive to run in a tandem with Stuart Skinner - stabilizing the crease, and being a mentor to the younger goalie. If Fleury's desire to play sparks up again near training camp, the Oilers will be begging for him to join them.

Oilers will continue to pursue Fleury until training camp, but may have another option

Another similar option who's actually not retired may be Seattle goaltender Matt Murray. Also a 2-time Cup Champ in Pittsburgh, Murray may become available as the 3rd goalie for the Kraken, and had an incredible AHL season last year at only 31 years old.

The Oilers are clearly still open to adding to their goaltending tandem for next season. For now it may still look weak, but hopefully more work is coming.