Picture Marc-Andre Fleury back in net for yet another Penguins-Capitals playoff series this spring.

No, not as an injury replacement for Tristan Jarry.

Not as the starter with Jarry benched either.

I’m saying picture Fleury in the other crease. Wearing Capitals red, white and blue.

I know. I can’t do it either. But that prospect is allegedly being discussed. Trade rumors are starting to bubble up involving Fleury’s current team, the Chicago Blackhawks, dealing him to D.C. before the deadline.

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman wrote this week, “We should prepare ourselves for the possibility of Marc-Andre Fleury, Washington Capital. At the very least, the Capitals are looking into it.”

The Athletic’s Mark Lazerus suggested Washington as a potential destination for Fleury earlier this month, too.

Fleury has made 19 playoff starts against Washington in his career. He was 8-6 as a Penguin versus the Caps, winning a pair of seven-game Eastern Conference series against Washington.

The first was en route to the Stanley Cup in 2009. The other was during the Pens’ 2017 Stanley Cup run.

— Rynik05 (@PirateNation22) June 28, 2017

Do you think Alexander Ovechkin is sick of seeing those highlights yet?

Although Ovechkin and the Caps got a measure of revenge against Fleury when he was with the Vegas Golden Knights, winning the 2018 Stanley Cup Final four games to one.

Via Bleachernation.com, the Capitals own their first-round picks in both 2022 and 2023, along with Winnipeg’s 2022 second-round pick, their own 2023 second-round pick and both of their own 2022 and 2023 third-round picks.

In his first season with the Blackhawks, Fleury has started 29 games for Chicago, compiling a 13-13-3 record with a .913 save percentage.

Now, all that said, Fleury still has a 10-team no trade clause. It’s unknown if Washington is on that list. But the Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli has said Chicago won’t trade Fleury somewhere he doesn’t want to go.

And Friedman told “The Jeff Marek Show” that Fleury may not greenlight the deal.

“I am not convinced that Fleury would be comfortable doing it,” Friedman said. “He’s still very much a Penguin and I think sometimes we underestimate how much passion there is in these rivalries. I do think the Capitals are very interested. I do think they’d love to do it. We have two months here, but I’m not convinced that Fleury would feel comfortable doing that at all.”

Fleury won two games against the Capitals this season with 25 saves in the first game and 42 in the second game. According to CapFriendly, his estimated remaining cap hit is $3,255,000 of $7 million. The Blackhawks have 39 points, the third-lowest total in the Western Conference.

Washington is seventh in goals allowed per game at 2.70. But the team save percentage is .904. That’s 18th in the NHL. Vitek Vanecek is 9-6-5 with a 2.47 goals against average (11th in the NHL) and a save percentage of .912 (T-2oth). Ilya Samsonov is 13-5-3 with a goals against average of 2.77 (24th) and a save percentage of .903 (T-31st). His three shutouts are three off the league-leading total of six posted by Calgary’s Jacob Markström.

As if the drama surrounding Jarry returning to the playoffs wouldn’t be enough, imagine him having to square off against a franchise icon like Fleury at the other end of the ice during a best-of-seven game series

Oh, while trying to stop Ovechkin, too.

TribLive Penguins beat writer Seth Rorabaugh joined me for Thursday’s “Breakfast With Benz” hockey podcast. We talked about the prospect of a Fleury-to-Washington trade, Jeff Carter’s new contract, the Penguins’ recent hot streak, the Flyers’ 13-game losing streak and Tuesday night’s Penguins game against the Seattle Kraken.

Listen: Tim Benz and Seth Rorabaugh talk hockey — Fleury to Washington? … Jeff Carter’s new contract … Penguins hot streak

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