Two news items rose to the top of the list on Friday morning.
The first comes from St Paul, where Marc-Andre Fleury made news for wanting to stay with the Minnesota Wild, or, retire. 
“The door is more open today for a return than it was in September or October,” Fleury recently said.
Earlier in the year, Fleury has suggested that he would leave or retire. Indeed, he was the subject of trade rumors.
“I also thought it was going to be my last season,” he replied. “When we spoke this past summer, I was telling myself that I was preparing for one last year. But the mood has changed. [Training] camp wasn’t easy, my hips were hurting, we were losing games at the start of the season. I wasn’t playing the way I wanted. I ended up feeling better and I started playing better. I rediscovered the joy of playing hockey. For the first few months, I wasn’t finding it very fun. I had hip problems and the team was struggling.
“When I played in Montreal in mid-October, I was still being very honest. I’d said that I was going to wait until the end of the season before making a decision on my future. I’d invited my friends and family, just in case that was my last game at Bell Centre.”
The 39-year-old goalie has had a decent year for the Wild.
Through 36 games this campaign, Fleury has managed a record of 16-12-5 with a less than adequately manned team in front of him.
He has a 2.85 goals-against average and .899 save percentage.
He is second in NHL history with wins, with 552 victories.
“I’m fortunate to still be in the NHL at my age,” Fleury said. “It makes me happy when I see fans wearing the number 29, especially when they’re kids. There are often people holding signs for me. Whenever I can, I try to give them some attention. I also look back to when I young. I didn’t have the chance to go to the Forum or the Bell Centre. But if I’d had the chance to go see games or practices, I would’ve really liked to go home with an autograph or a photo. I’ll sometimes toss them pucks. I read the signs, too, especially during practices. Sometimes I have the time to look all around.”
In other goalie news, the Philadelphia Flyers signed Ivan Fedotov, late of the KHL.
Fedorov’s CSKA contract was terminated, leaving him available.
He was drafted in 2015, but languished for years in a saga of disjointed paying and time off the ice for compulsory military service in Russia.
“It’s great feelings because it’s been a really difficult last two years for me,” Fedotov said. “Now I’m here and I’m be happy to be here and I want to help the team struggle for the playoffs and be one of the best teams in the playoffs.”
He will likely step in as a backup goalie for the Flyers as they look to lock down a playoff spot.
“This year we watched most of his games, almost all of them,” Philadelphia general manager Daniel Briere said. “What we felt was maybe there was a little rust at the beginning after not playing much hockey … but he was excellent in the second half of the season. He was excellent and really took over in the playoffs. He was very impressive in his playoff series, so that makes it exciting for us to bring him aboard.
“The last two years for him has been a lot, things that probably none of us can imagine, he had to go through. I think it’s a big moment for him being able to answer questions, face the media, and now he can go in the ice and start with practice.”
Samuel Ersson #33 of the Philadelphia Flyers Photo by Jack Smart
The Flyers have been on a cycle of goalies in and out of the lineup since Carter Hart was sidelined by the sexual abuse charges in London, Ontario.
Samuel Ersson has been installed as the number one for the team, but that’s tenuous at best.
Cal Petersen and Felix Sandstrom have been designated the backups at various times. Both have been on a string between Philadelphia and Allentown with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the American Hockey League. 
“Sam was kept in the loop, Felix was kept in the loop,” Briere said. “We tried to be as open as we can with our players and how it was going to affect them. But at the same time, we told Sam, ‘You’ve earned the right to be the No. 1, we believe in you, we trust in you.’ But we’ve been upfront with both of them.”
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