Report: At least one NHL GM has called Pittsburgh about Marc-Andre Fleury.

It didn't take an insider to know that the Pittsburgh Penguins would need to do something about their goaltending situation during the offseason. Not only did Matt Murray apparently supplant Fleury as the Penguins number one goaltender during the playoffs this year, but with the threat of an expansion draft next season, the Penguins would only be able to protect one or the other from being drafted.

With that in mind, trading veteran Marc-Andre Fleury, as insane as that would have sounded even 3 months ago, is probably the right move here for Pittsburgh. The Penguins have believed Matt Murray is their goaltender of the future for some time, there are reports that they rejected significant offers for the young netminder over the course of this season, and with that in mind Fleury is the odd man out in this equation.

Today we received our first sign that these talks have already started taking place, which makes sense when you consider that Jim Rutherford would likely expect a high end pick in this draft in any offer that is made for Fleury, when reporter Eric Francis of the Calgary Sun revealed that Rutherford and Flames GM Brad Treliving have already touched base on this topic.

Flames GM Brad Treliving is well aware of the possible fit and, as should be expected from the diligent workhorse, he's been in contact with Rutherford.

The Penguins could use the cap space as they are currently $2.5 million over the $71.4 salary cap, which may very well dip lower, further exacerbating the problem.

Keep in mind that even without the cap savings, trading Marc-Andre Fleury still makes sense when you consider an expansion draft would almost certainly result in him being claim with the Penguins getting nothing in return. But when you consider that the Penguins would save $5.75 million against the cap per season for the next three season, it becomes a no-brainer for Jim Rutherford, a rarity with such a talented player.

The space would be massive for the cap strapped Penguins, and with Matt Murray looking for a new deal at the end of the 2016-2017 campaign, assuming the Penguins don't get it done before then, it's not hard to see how it could be put to good use in short order.

[pub]