PITTSBURGH Draft-pick Fleury has it all, but can team afford him?

His first NHL contract will be worth millions.
CANONSBURG, Pa. (AP) -- Marc-Andre Fleury wasn't just what the Pittsburgh Penguins hoped the NHL's No. 1 draft pick would be during the preseason -- he was even better.
At age 18, he outplayed their two veteran goaltenders, displaying the confidence, poise and determination they hoped he would show.
On Tuesday, he made it through the next-to-last roster cut before their Oct. 10 opener against the Los Angeles Kings.
"He's played great," owner-player Mario Lemieux said Tuesday. "He works hard and has a great attitude. He's proven he can play in this league."
There's only one problem: Fleury's first NHL contract will be worth millions, and the Penguins aren't certain they can afford it this season. That means their starting goalie for most of the preseason could find himself back in junior hockey next week.
A gamble
For the cost-conscious Penguins, it's a huge gamble either way.
If they sign Fleury, they risk wasting millions -- and possibly a year of valuable development -- if the still-maturing teen-ager discovers he's in over his head in the NHL.
Also, he wouldn't be able to play in the AHL next season should a long-anticipated labor dispute shut down the start of the 2004-05 NHL season.
If they don't sign him, they risk disappointing their most prized pick since Jaromir Jagr in 1990 and, possibly, weakening their club.
They also would be gambling that Fleury's agent, Allan Walsh, will be willing to make a deal next summer; Fleury could refuse to sign, a move that would allow him to become an unrestricted free agent in spring 2005.
Asked if the Penguins want to sign Fleury by Monday's deadline, Lemieux said, "Oh, yeah, absolutely. Hopefully, we can make it work."
However, he cautioned, "I'm not the guy negotiating the contract, that's Craig [Patrick, the general manager], and everybody understands it's a business. We have a budget to respect and we'll try to make it work within our resources. If not, we'll have to wait."
Player's stance
Fleury is taking the same wait-and-see attitude, hoping a deal will get done but gearing himself mentally for a possible return to Cape Breton of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.
Still, he acknowledges going back to juniors would be difficult after his first exposure to the NHL. He was 2-2 with a 2.26 goals-against average in four exhibition games, stopping 117 of 126 shots.
Five of the nine goals he allowed came Sunday in Columbus, the second of two games he played in just more than 24 hours. He turned aside 34 of 35 shots the night before against Washington.
"I want to know what's going to happen, but I really don't know what to expect," Fleury said. "They haven't said anything, so I don't know. For sure, I'd love to stay, but I think it's going to be the coaching staff's decision."
It's not. New coach Eddie Olczyk clearly wants Fleury on his team, but said it's not his call.
"Do I feel he's ready to play in the NHL? Absolutely," Olczyk said. "But that's the coach's opinion and that has nothing to do with everything that filters down from upstairs."
The deal
The parameters of a deal would already seem set. Based on the contracts of former No. 1 picks Rick DiPietro in 2000 -- the last goalie taken first overall -- and Rick Nash with Columbus last year, Fleury should cost the Penguins about $1.2 million a year in base salary, plus about $4 million per year in incentives over three seasons.
Many teams would be rushing to sign such a deal. To the Penguins, it's an immense sum, especially considering they signed goalie Sebastien Caron to a $3.2 million, four-year deal during the offseason.
For now, Fleury can only wait. And hope.
"For sure, I would be disappointed [to not sign] because it's always been a dream of mine to play in the NHL," he said. "On the other side, maybe that's good for me to rejoin my junior team. We have a pretty good team, so I could play a lot and get more experience and come back next year stronger."