Despite a string of poorly played games, the Detroit Red Wings had a successful first month of the season. Goaltending is the backbone of successful teams, and to start the season, the Red Wings were confident in the two goaltenders who made the opening night roster. Nine games later, the attitude seems to be moving toward the newly acquired Ville Husso and away from the incumbent Alex Nedeljkovic.
The Red Wings acquired Nedeljkovic during the summer of 2021. Last season, Nedeljkovic played a career-high 59 games and had a 20-24-9 record. By the end of the season, he had taken the #1 goaltending position away from veteran Thomas Greiss. The Red Wings let Greiss become a UFA and promptly signed with St. Louis. In need of an experienced goaltender to tandem with Nedeljkovic, Detroit traded with St. Louis for Ville Husso.
To start the season, Nedeljkovic and Husso have been alternating starts. In six games, Husso has an excellent record of 4-1-1 with a 2.17 GAA and a .934 SV%. Nedeljkovic, on the other hand, has a record of 1-2-1. with a 4.96 GAA, and a .871 SV%.
Nedeljkovic, on the other hand, has struggled. In his first game of the season, Nedeljkovic earned the game’s first star and defeated New Jersey by a 5-2 score. He made 37 saves on 39 shots for a .949 SV%. The last three games have been less than expected for a goaltender earning $3M in his contract year. If he is not signed to an extension, Nedeljkovic can become a UFA at the end of the season.
Nedeljkovic has a 0-2-1 record in his last three games, with a 5.93 GAA and a .845 SV%. To be fair to Nedeljkovic, he has been left alone more often than expected during all four of his starts. He has faced 155 shots and has made 135 saves for a .871 SV%. Nedeljkovic has faced an average of almost 39 shots per game compared to 32 shots for Husso.
There is no doubt that Husso outplayed Nedeljkovic in October. His record, GAA, and SV% are far superior, and at some point, Red Wings head coach Derek Lalonde will have to make Husso the #1 goaltender for the foreseeable future.
Future in Doubt
With Nedeljkovic nearing free agency at the end of the season, there is a possibility that he could be traded at the deadline. Several teams are already experiencing significant injuries in the goaltending ranks. For example, Matt Murray is injured in Toronto, and Petr Mrazek and Alex Stalock are injured in Chicago.
I hope Nedeljkovic can get his game back to where he can be a competent backup to Husso. He is only 26, and if he can play 30 strong games for the Red Wings, he would be in line for an extension to stay in Detroit. The next 13 games in November will likely dictate the direction the Red Wings will go when it comes to the goaltending tandem of the future in Hockeytown.
