The Penguins have signed goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic to a new contract. He is locked in for the next two years and will have an AAV of $2.5 million per season. Nedeljkovic has been on three teams the last seven seasons and now is onto his fourth.
Nedeljkovic, Penguins Agree on Contract
What a whirlwind of a career it has been for Nedeljkovic. The first three years of his career was a small sample size with the Carolina Hurricanes. He was then tabbed as the starting goalie in the 2020-21 playoffs, where he posted a 2.17 goals against average and a .921 save percentage. He was then moved to the Detroit Red Wings, where his play took a bit of a dive. However, being on the move again to the Pittsburgh Penguins, he saw his game bounce back.
In 38 games with the Penguins, Nedeljkovic finished with an 18-7-7 record. Also, he saw his save percentage rise to .902 and a 2.97 goals against average. However, he did finish with the worst goals saved above expected with -3.3. He and Tristan Jarry helped form a nice duo between the pipes, as they ranked 13th in team save percentage. He may not be a true number one starter, but he is a player that can come in and help be a stable presence in the crease.
What This Signing Means
The Nedeljkovic contract is great for the team. You can never have too many goalies and having depth at the position is key. The days of goalies playing 50+ games is rare and having a goalie that can give the starter a breather is huge. Also, having another goalie that can give you a chance to win when his name is called upon is also a bonus.
Nedeljkovic can be an effective goalie, especially if the team in front of him is good. He went from one of the best defensive teams in Carolina to a more leaky defence in Detroit. However, under Pittsburgh he performed better and signing with this team will allow him to maintain that level of play. This is also great for him, as he can now focus on playing and not figuring out where the journey is next.
Main Photo: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
