Time to fade Blackhawks in NHL betting: Chicago enters tank mode by trading Marc-Andre Fleury to Wild

Looking for a team to fade the rest of this NHL regular season betting wise? I give the you the Chicago Blackhawks as they officially embraced the tank for the final month or so by trading No. 1 goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury to the Central Division rival Minnesota Wild for a draft pick. And new GM Kyle Davidson might not be done ahead of today's NHL Trade Deadline.

Last week, Davidson traded 20-goal scorer Brandon Hagel and two-fourth round picks to the Tampa Bay Lightning for two first round-picks and two prospects in Taylor Raddysh and Boris Katchouk.

Fleury, last season's Vezina Trophy winner with Vegas, fetched a conditional 2022 second-round draft pick in return, one that can become a first-round pick if Minnesota reaches the Western Conference finals and Fleury accounts for at least four wins in the first two rounds. The Hawks also will retain half of Fleury's remaining contract. He will be a free agent after the season and had to approve the trade. Fleury has a connection to Minnesota, having played with Wild GM Bill Guerin on the Pittsburgh Penguins years ago. There are few players in the league more beloved among his teammates than Fleury.

The 37-year-old is 19-21-5 this season with a 2.95 goals-against average and .908 save percentage. Those aren't the best of numbers, but Fleury has played behind a pretty bad defense that was even worse in a brutal first month of the season before Coach Jeremy Colliton was fired. Fleury is 18-13-5 with a .915 save percentage since Nov. 9. Kevin Lankinen takes over as Chicago's No. 1 goaltender and is 3-8-4 with a 3.51 GAA and .889 SV. Huge downgrade.

Fleury is a proven playoff performer with three Stanley Cups and having won the fourth-most playoff games in NHL history. He has a 2.53 GAA and .912 save percentage over 162 playoff games (160 starts). Fleury might share regular-season duty with the Wild's Cam Talbot, but it would be a surprise if Fleury isn't the clear-cut No. 1 in the postseason.

It's pretty rare for a team to trade for a presumed No. 1 goaltender in a season and then win the Stanley Cup. In fact, the last team that traded for a starter and won the Cup that year was the Colorado Avalanche in 1995-96 when they acquired Patrick Roy.

Minnesota currently sits third in the Central Division with 76 points, is a +1000 fourth favorite to win the West at Caesars Sportsbook and +2200 for the Cup. 

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