Marc-Andre Fleury didn't pay a lot of attention when his first professional contract was being negotiated in 2003. He didn't figure there was much reason he should.

He understood it was going to launch him into a tax bracket where few 18-year-olds turn up, but assumed the negotiations wouldn't amount to much more than working out a salary acceptable to both sides.

"I didn't know there was so much to it," Fleury said. "In junior, you would just sign a contract that said if you make the team, you get 30 bucks a week, and that's it. It's the same for everybody."

The deal with which Fleury ended up not only pays him a lot more than $30 per week -- his NHL salary for 2005-06 is $942,000 -- but has had more of an impact on his career than he ever anticipated.

In his rookie season, Fleury could have earned more than $4 million in bonuses, which was a significant factor in the Penguins' decision to return him to his junior team before he played enough games to qualify for that extra money.

Fleury has a chance to earn a bonus of about $3 million this season if he can attain a series of statistical objectives, as well as smaller amounts for each of those targets he hits. That's a big part of the reason he spent most of fall and early winter with the Penguins' minor-league team in Wilkes-Barre.

The Penguins already are projecting a seven-figure -- or possible higher -- loss for this season; adding $3 million to that total obviously has little appeal.

The decision to keep Fleury, the Penguins' top goalie during training camp, in the minors might have backfired, though, because playing without him contributed to the miserable start that virtually has guaranteed the team will sit out the Stanley Cup playoffs.

And failing to qualify for the postseason might have financial repercussions of its own, because convincing season-ticket holders and corporate sponsors to stick with the team after such a disappointing season could be an enormous challenge.

Which is why Fleury's contract figures to be an issue again in coming weeks.

He has appeared in 12 NHL games this season; as soon as he plays in his 25th -- with the only condition being that he must play at least 20 minutes for the appearance to count -- he is eligible for performance bonuses at certain statistical plateaus. They include:

A top 10 finish among NHL goalies in goals-against average and/or save percentage.

Twenty victories.

A save percentage of .890 or higher.

Playing time of 1,800 minutes or more.

A goals-against average of 3.25 or lower.

Four shutouts.

While there is an individual payment for each of those, the payment of just more than $3 million comes into play if Fleury hits four of those objectives.

The issue for the Penguins: Do they want to keep Fleury around for more than 25 appearances -- and perhaps pay an extra $3 million-plus for the privilege -- after declining to do so at a time when he could have made them more of a playoff contender, or do they want to risk alienating fans and sponsors by demoting their top goalie at a time when the franchise will be trying to market the promise of its future?

General manager Craig Patrick declined to say what he expects to do with Fleury, who will be a restricted free agent this summer, in coming weeks.

"We'll see," he said. "Nothing's in stone yet. We'll see how things go."

Fleury, for his part, said he hasn't focused much on the team's plans for him.

"I haven't thought about that," he said. "We're still battling for a [playoff] spot. I'm going to play hard, try to get some wins and try to make the playoffs.

Fleury, it should be noted, is not a lock to hit four or more of his individual bonuses.

His save percentage of .905 ranks 26th in the NHL, and his goals-against average of 3.22 is tied for 69th (although both totals would be good enough to trigger individual bonus payments).

His record is 2-7-2, which means it's far from certain that he could finish with 20 victories, and the Penguins have not had a shutout in their first 34 games, so expecting Fleury to record four in the remaining 48 might not be realistic.

The one stat over which management has complete control is Fleury's minutes-played; the target of 1,800 is the equivalent of 30 complete games. He has gotten 689 minutes of work so far.

Coach Michel Therrien said he expects Fleury to be the Penguins' go-to goalie "as long as the performance is there," and acknowledged that the team relies on him to help it stay competitive.

"Definitely, we count on him a lot," Therrien said.

Management will have to decide in coming weeks how much longer the Penguins will be able to do that. Regardless of what the front office decides, though, Fleury said he won't take it personally.

"It's just business," he said. "I just want to play hockey."