200 and Counting

When Haydn Fleury took his position on defense Tuesday for the opening face-off against Nashville, it marked an important night for the 25-year-old. When the puck dropped, he had officially played in his 200th career NHL game.
Appearing in 200 NHL games by the age of 25 is no small feat. It's a total many kids dream about while growing up. It takes talent, hard work, persistence and a little luck.

"I think you've got to come to the rink every day to work and keep getting better," Fleury said about the honor. "There's going to be good times and bad times. I think you've just got to have a level mind through it all and come to the rink every day, have fun and work hard."
This season, Fleury knows about the ups and downs you need to overcome to become an NHL mainstay.

With the Kraken carrying eight defensemen on the active roster - when only six are needed on game day - Fleury has been a healthy scratch for more games than he would prefer. The Kraken have played 42 games, Tuesday was the 21st for Fleury. He's scored twice and has three points in those 21 games.
Not playing every night is not easy and Fleury has needed to adapt and persevere.
"It was a struggle there for a bit, I'm not gonna lie," he said. "There were some hard days. The one thing I really tried to do is work hard at the rink after practice, before practice, just really trying to get better. I think, at the end the day, I really think the work I put in with Jay [Leach, assistant coach who oversees the defensive corps] and Nate [Brookreson, head strength and conditioning coach] helped."
With the Kraken losing Jamie Oleksiak (day-to-day lower body) and Carson Soucy (week-to-week, lower body) to injury, Fleury has played three games in a row. It's not easy to jump back into the lineup and game action without any rust. Head coach Dave Hakstol acknowledged as much during a recent press conference, saying evaluation of Fleury's performances have to factor in his layoff from live games.

Fleury's played well but he has a chance to be even better once he finds that groove again.
"Just trying to go into the games and keep it simple," Fleury said. "Not really trying to do too much, just kind of find that rhythm again, and just keep building from there."
Fleury has been relegated to watching more than he'd like this season. He prefers to watch the game "from about 10 rows back," or on television. Fleury said the upper-level vantage point from the press box (where players not dressed typically watch) makes the game look too easy since you can see who's open on any play.
On the ice, it isn't that simple, and things move faster that you may think from up top, he said. Fleury played 14-plus minutes against Nashville Tuesday and recorded two shots on goal. He played on the penalty kill and was solid on the back end.
Fleury has practiced hard every day but even that isn't the same. The only way to get in game shape is to play games. As he cycles back into the lineup and gets that game time, he's impressed his coaches with how he's handled not playing.

"He has really been committed to his routine and the work he's doing when he's out of the lineup," coach Dave Hakstol said. "And that's on a lot of different levels. He's worked diligently with Jay. Off the ice, studying his game on the ice and working on detail ... He's been real diligent in the weight room in terms of making sure he holds his conditioning. As he gets into a rhythm here, he gets the ability to get that feel back, and that's important.
"He just has to really continue transferring the work he's doing when he's out of the lineup into game action and having positive things happen, shift by shift. He's been able to do that for us."
Fleury has leaned on help from Leach, who he said is the best defensive coach the young defenseman has worked with since he's turned pro.
Another influence is Fleury's brother, Cale, recently recalled by the Kraken from the Charlotte Checkers to join the team's taxi squad. During Tuesday's morning skate, the two brothers were on the ice together for the first time since training camp.
"It's awesome [he's here]," Haydn said. "I've watched probably 10 [AHL] games of his down there and you know, each game he was getting better. He started a little slow and then he's really picked up his game. He's been the best defenseman down there and deserves the opportunity to be here."