Let’s get one thing out of the way right now: Marc-Andre Fleury is the franchise leader in goalie point shares for the Vegas Golden Knights. He had a total of 35.4 points, which ranks fourth in team history. His performance on the ice gave the team a much-needed jump start that helped them reach the Stanley Cup Final in his first season.
It’s easy to see why. He’s made three All-Star appearances and won a Vezina Trophy in 2020-21. In turn, he’s established himself as the franchise’s flagship player and provided a consistent dose of goaltending before being traded. Being the undisputed leader in goaltending point shares shows he’s the most valuable goalie in Vegas’ lifetime, so he’s earned a place in the team’s growing history.
But how much did Fleury beat the competition? How far was he compared to Adin Hill and Logan Thompson? The answer might shock you and show you how important “Flower” was to the team’s success. It would also make you realize what would have happened if the Golden Knights had selected a different player with the 29th pick in the 2017 expansion draft. Here’s why the goalie was by far the most important star for the Golden Knights.
If you want to know why Marc-Andre Fleury was the best goalie in the Vegas Golden Knights’ short history, look at who was in second place. Logan Thompson had a goalie point percentage of 19.4, almost half of Fleury’s entire career with the Golden Knights. This shows how lucky they were to have the former Penguins goalie discovered during the NHL Expansion Draft.
If Fleury (or Matt Murray) hadn’t been unprotected, there would have been no run to the Stanley Cup Final. There would have been no march through the Western Conference to get to this point. Therefore, fans wouldn’t have been as interested in the team. It set the course for the team to be a consistent force throughout the NHL and unmatched.
So who finished in third place? It was a tie, with Robin Lehner and Adin Hill posting a point percentage of 11.1. Malcolm Subban finished in fifth place with a point percentage of 8.1, while Laurent Brosssoit followed him with a total of 5.1. The rest of the list includes names like Jonathan Quick (1.5), Jiri Patera (1.5), Oscar Dansk (0.8) and Maxime Legace (0.3), all of whom had a point percentage of less than two.
If you want a deeper perspective on why luck is better than skill, look at Marc-Andre Fleury as a Golden Knight. Since he left the team, there hasn’t been anyone as reliable as him. The good news is that Vegas has a few promising talents that could be starting in the future. Hopefully the team isn’t chasing ghosts until then.
