About Last Season: Haydn Fleury Performance Review and Grade

Haydn Fleury: 2017-18 By The Numbers:

• Age: 21
• NHL seasons: 1
• Scoring: 0 goals - 8 assists - 8 points
• Ice Time: 12:28 all situations, 11:58 ES, 0:06 PP, 0:24 PK
• 5-on-5 stats: 51.5% CF, 60.5 oZS%
• Contract Status: Under contract through 2018-19, entry level contract worth $863,333 per year

This season was Haydn Fleury’s rookie year, his first as a full-time NHL player. Fleury, selected 7^th overall in the 2014 NHL Draft, had spent time developing between Charlotte and the Red Deer Rebels of the WHL and management decided it was time to move forward with his development and bring him up.

Head coach Bill Peters most often lined Fleury up on a bottom-pairing role alongside Trevor van Riemsdyk, but as was the case with Peters and constantly moving his lineup, occasionally Fleury would pair up with Justin Faulk. Fleury played 67 games, tallying eight assists but was not able to score his first NHL goal.

While inevitably he will score his first goal at some point, having lofty expectations for Fleury offensively will lead to disappointment. Realistically, Fleury is a shutdown defender that projects to around 20-25 points per season. Having him in the line-up as a complimentary piece on an entry-level deal helps the Hurricanes financially as the extensions of Fleury’s fellow defensemen, Jaccob Slavin and Brett Pesce, kick in at the start of next season.

The 6’3” defenseman thrived with his reach during the 2017-18 season much like he did at the AHL level and it will be a tool he relies on throughout the course of the upcoming 2018-19 season. Although Klas Dahlbeck has left the team, Fleury will face ample competition for a bottom-pairing role, despite earning it this year. Roland McKeown remains a threat and is bound to graduate from the AHL soon. Jake Bean, done with his junior hockey journey, will be in Charlotte full time next season and eventually the coaching staff will want to see what he can bring to the table as well. Fleury will need to continue an upward trend in his development to keep a regular spot on the Canes’ blue line.