The Pittsburgh Penguins announced they have reached a two-year contract agreement with Alex Nedeljkovic that runs through the 2025-26 season at $2.5 million AAV. The 28-year-old finished his first season with the Penguins where he regained the confidence he lost during a rough 2022-23 season with the Detroit Red Wings. Ned went 18-7-7 in 38 games with a 2.97 goals-against average and a .902 save percentage. In seven seasons in the NHL between the Carolina Hurricanes, Red Wings, and now the Penguins, Nedeljkovic has a 60-45-30 record in 141 games with a 2.96 GAA and a .906 SV% in his career.
After a horrendous season during the 2022-23 season with the Red Wings, Nedeljkovic was once again in a backup role wanting to prove he can be a number one goalie in the NHL. He got his opportunity to prove that on March 22, 2024. In what would eventually be a 4-2 loss to the Dallas Stars, Nedeljkovic would come on in relief for Tristan Jarry after the Stars took a 4-1 lead at 4:37 of the third period. Ned would stop all three shots he faced in 12:55 of game time. Head coach Mike Sullivan stuck with the hot hand, and Ned took the reigns for the rest of the season with the Pens desperate for points. Over his next 13 games, Ned would go 9-1-3, collecting 30 points in the standings for the Pens, who ultimately fell short of a spot in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs. During that stretch, Ned recorded a career-long 10-game point streak and became the 11th goalie in Penguins history to do so. This will make things interesting in net for the Pens next season as Jarry has four years left on his five-year contract worth $5.375 million AAV. With that high of a cap hit, I would expect Jarry to remain number one unless he shows signs of not being able to handle the starting job.
ITR 37: Round Two – Inside The Rink
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