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Alex Nedeljkovic

Morning Notes: Leddy, Crosby, Nedeljkovic

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Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic speculated on the future of defenseman Nick Leddy and the St. Louis Blues. Rutherford doesn’t think the Blues can count on more than bottom-pairing minutes from the veteran rearguard, who has one year remaining on his contract after this season at a $4MM cap hit. The 33-year-old is out with a lower-body injury and appeared close to a return as he was travelling with the team on their road trip. However, the injury flared up, and he was forced to return to St. Louis.

The former Stanley Cup Champion has played just four games this season after playing a full slate of games last year. He hasn’t posted any points this year, but he did tally three goals and 25 assists last season, which were his best offensive numbers since the shortened 2020-21 season while he was a member of the Islanders.

In other morning notes:

  • Josh Yohe of The Athletic writes that Pittsburgh Penguins superstar Sidney Crosby wasn’t thrilled with some fans who attended last night’s 6-2 loss to the Colorado Avalanche. Crosby, who is notoriously positive, commented on the Penguins winning five of their last seven games, saying, “You wouldn’t know it tonight. Would you? I mean, getting booed on the power play (in the third period.)” The Penguins were down 4-2 at the time and weren’t generating much with the man advantage. However, the club has turned around in recent weeks and was coming off arguably their best game of the season on Saturday against Toronto. Crosby showed visible frustration at the end of last night’s game, smashing his stick after Colorado scored an empty netter to clinch the game.
  • Penguins’ backup goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic took a puck to the face while sitting on the bench last night in the Penguins’ loss (as per Josh Yohe of The Athletic). The 28-year-old was hit under his right eye by a puck in the first period and came back out in the second period sporting a black eye. Nedeljkovic told reporters that he would be fine, so it doesn’t appear to be a cause for concern going forward. The Penguins haven’t received great goaltending this season from Nedeljkovic as he has struggled to a 4-5-3 record with a 3.37 goals-against average and a .882 save percentage.

East Notes: Penguins, Hughes, Pesce, Ullmark

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There were some expectations that Joel Blomqvist’s days with the Pittsburgh Penguins were numbered with the organization recalling Alex Nedeljkovic earlier today. We now know that isn’t the case as Seth Rorabaugh of Tribune-Review Sports reports the team will carry both along with Tristan Jarry through the team’s upcoming four-game road trip.

Blomqvist has played his way into an extended stay with the club after securing a 2-2-0 record through four games with a .908 save percentage compared to a 1-1-0 record and .836 SV% from Jarry. It’s already been suggested there’s an open competition between the pipes to increase their chances of winning each game. There appears to be a pathway for Blomqvist to become the everyday starter for the Penguins if he continues to play well despite only being 23 years old.

Rorabaugh also mentions that forwards Blake Lizotte, Matthew Nieto, and Vasily Ponomarev skated this morning but will not travel with the team for their road trip. Each of the trio has been nursing injuries to open the 2024-25 campaign with the latter likely headed to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton once he’s medically cleared to return.

Other East notes:

  • The New Jersey Devils are eagerly awaiting the return of defensemen Luke Hughes and Brett Pesce to their active roster. Team reporter Amanda Stein shared that both defensemen skated with the team this morning but aren’t expected back sooner than anticipated. It’s a positive step in the right direction for both players but don’t tell New Jersey they’re supposed to be missing them. The team currently leads the Eastern Conference in points with 10 after a 5-2-0 start through their first seven games.
  • The strain afflicting Ottawa Senators goaltender Linus Ullmark has been more severe than expected. It’s supposed to last much longer as TSN’s Bruce Garrioch reports he is close to a return despite potent caution from the team. The likely scenario is that the organization was concerned Ullmark may reaggravate the strain or develop a worse injury altogether if he returned sooner, so the slow return may prove beneficial in the long run.

Penguins Recall Alex Nedeljkovic From Conditioning Loan

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Saturday: Nedeljkovic’s stint in the minors was short-lived as the team announced that he has been recalled from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.  He made 33 saves on 36 shots in their victory over Lehigh Valley.

Thursday: Alex Nedeljkovic is on the verge of returning from his lower-body injury, as the team announced they’d activated him from injured reserve and assigned him to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on a conditioning loan. He’ll now count against the 23-man roster limit, but Pittsburgh had an open spot after sending Rutger McGroarty to the minors yesterday, so no corresponding transaction is necessary.

Nedeljkovic hasn’t played at all this season after sustaining the injury during an exhibition game against the Red Wings on Sep. 30. He was listed as week-to-week a couple of days later and landed on IR when the Penguins announced their opening night roster. He did end up missing well over the seven days required for an IR placement, but it’s clear now he wouldn’t have been out long enough to land on LTIR.

The 28-year-old can remain in the AHL for up to 14 days on his conditioning stint, but once he returns, he’s expected to challenge for a 1A/starting role in Pittsburgh. He took over those duties down the stretch last season, finishing the campaign with an 18-7-7 record and .902 SV% in 38 appearances. Even with those pedestrian numbers, that’s certainly a better option than what the more established Tristan Jarry has given them to start this season. Jarry also struggled to the tune of a rather average .903 SV% last year and is off to a tough start this October with a .833 SV% and 5.47 GAA in three starts.

With Nedeljkovic soon returning, there’s a legitimate argument to be made that Jarry has fallen to No. 3 on Pittsburgh’s goaltending depth chart. 22-year-old Joel Blomqvist made the opening night roster with Nedeljkovic injured and has been the superior option in a limited sample, making 84 saves on 92 shots faced for a .913 SV% in his first three career NHL appearances. For a team with playoff aspirations, it’ll be hard to justify sending the waiver-exempt Blomqvist to the minors at the expense of keeping Jarry, meaning the latter could potentially end up on waivers with four years left on his five-year, $26.88MM deal. There’s no rush, though, as the Pens are cap-compliant with 13 forwards, seven defensemen, and three goalies.

Penguins Not Set On A Starting Goaltender Moving Forward

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Josh Yohe wrote in The Athletic (Subscription Required) about some early-season observations with the Pittsburgh Penguins. After three games of the 2024-25 regular season, the biggest takeaway is that the Penguins are allowing Joel Blomqvist to become the starting netminder moving forward.

Consistent goaltending has been difficult to find in Pittsburgh over the last couple of years. The team didn’t foresee this being an issue when they committed to Tristan Jarry after the 2022-23 season with a five-year, $26.88MM contract. In the four years before that deal, Jarry had earned a 103-52-17 record with the Penguins from 2020 to 2023 with a .915 save percentage and a 2.62 goals-against average.

The contract didn’t look half bad for Pittsburgh in the first few months of the 2023-24 NHL season with Jarry putting up a .916 SV% by the end of the calendar year. Once the calendar flipped over to 2024; however, his performance went off the rails. Jarry finished the regular season on a run of 8-14-3 with a .891 SV% and lost the starting job to Alex Nedeljkovic down the stretch.

They brought back Nedeljkovic on an affordable two-year, $5MM contract but a preseason injury put the organization in a position to call up Blomqvist from their AHL affiliate in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Pittsburgh opted to start Jarry for their regular season opener and he quickly disappointed by allowing six goals on 40 shots in a blowout loss.

Pittsburgh pivoted to Blomqvist for their next game, this time against the Detroit Red Wings, where he won the first NHL start of his young career. The Uusikaarlepyy, Finland native stopped 29 of 32 shots against Detroit, and head coach Mike Sullivan stuck with him for their game against the Toronto Maple Leafs. He posted a repeat performance, stopping 29 of 32 shots, this time in a loss.

Yohe notes in his article that a contract similar to Jarry’s indicates the team will afford him more mistakes than usual but that will not be the case. The team is holding an open competition for the starting job and will likely ride the hot hand for much of the season.

Penguins Notes: Rust, Nedeljkovic, Nieto

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Pittsburgh Penguins forward Bryan Rust participated in the team practice today wearing a white (non-contact) jersey (as per Seth Rorabaugh of Tribune-Review Sports). Rust has been dealing with an injury that he likely suffered in a preseason game against the Columbus Blue Jackets and may not suit up for the Penguins opener this week.

Pittsburgh general manager Kyle Dubas told the media yesterday that the team was taking extra precautions with Rust, who will certainly be a key cog for the Penguins this season alongside Sidney Crosby on the top line. Anthony Beauvillier has been taking Rust’s spot on the Penguins top line alongside Crosby and Drew O’Connor, however, Rust appeared to be getting reacclimated with his linemates today which likely means he is close to returning.

In other Pittsburgh Penguins notes:

  • Penguins’ goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic returned to the ice today prior to Pittsburgh’s practice (as per Seth Rorabaugh of Tribune-Review Sports). The Penguins backup is considered week to week due to an undisclosed injury and landed on injured reserve earlier this week. His injury will force the Penguins to rely heavily on starter Tristan Jarry to start the year after Jarry didn’t play in Pittsburgh’s final 13 games of the regular season last year. If both netminders post similar results to last season, its possible that Nedeljkovic could become the Penguin’s starter this season.
  • Penguins forward Matt Nieto also skated today before Penguins practice (as per Seth Rorabaugh of Tribune-Review Sports). The 31-year-old had surgery on his right knee in January and was slated to return to the lineup but missed the remainder of the season and then required left knee surgery in May. Nieto has been skating infrequently with his other injured teammates and is reportedly still two months away from returning to the lineup (as per Rorabaugh). The Penguins have a stockpile of bottom-six forwards available to them making it unlikely that Nieto will receive much playing time when he does return to health.

Alex Nedeljkovic Out Week-To-Week With Lower-Body Injury

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The Penguins announced that goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic is listed as week-to-week with a lower-body injury, with Wes Crosby of NHL.com among those to relay the news. The news puts the netminder’s availability for their season opener against the Rangers on Oct. 9 in serious doubt.

Nedeljkovic departed his start on Monday midway through the first period. In the likely scenario that he’s not ready to go by the time the opening night roster is due, expect him to start the year on the non-roster list with 22-year-old Joel Blomqvist, the organization’s top goaltending prospect, backing up Tristan Jarry in his stead.

It’s tough news to swallow for the Penguins, who kept Nedeljkovic off this offseason’s UFA market with a two-year, $5MM extension. He stole the crease from Jarry down the stretch last season as Pittsburgh tried but failed to avoid missing the postseason for the second year in a row.

Nedeljkovic, 28, put up perfectly average numbers in a 1B role behind Jarry last year. The former Hurricanes second-rounder made 38 appearances, the second-highest mark of his career, and posted an 18-7-7 record with a .902 SV% and a 2.97 GAA with one shutout.

In the meantime, there are certainly worse fallback options than Jarry and Blomqvist. Jarry is entering his fifth season as the Pens’ starter, and while his .903 SV% last year was certainly underwhelming, he’s long been an above-average starter and has finished in the top 10 in Vezina Trophy voting twice. Blomqvist was likely due for some NHL looks this season anyway after shutting the door with a .921 SV% and 2.16 in 45 games for AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in 2023-24, earning himself a spot on the league’s All-Rookie Team.

The Pens also announced a bevy of other minor injury updates. Chief among them is defenseman Erik Karlsson, who skated again today as he attempts to heal from an upper-body injury before the season opener. The three-time Norris winner has yet to be a full participant in camp but is still listed as day-to-day. They also said that potential fourth-line piece Blake Lizotte is out with a concussion and has no timeline yet for a return. Forward Vasiliy Ponomarev is also day-to-day with an upper-body injury but will likely be ready for the beginning of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s season.

East Notes: Terry, Nedeljkovic, Toronto Expansion

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Prolific AHL scoring winger Chris Terry is returning to the Islanders organization on a one-year deal with Bridgeport, the affiliate announced today.

Terry, now 35, was a fifth-round pick of the Hurricanes back in 2007. He only has 152 NHL games to his name over his lengthy professional career, none coming since the 2016-17 season, but he’s otherwise established himself as one of the top point producers in AHL history. The 5’10” left winger sits 22nd all-time in scoring with 741 points (311 G, 430 A) in 815 games and is a five-time AHL All-Star but has never won the Calder Cup.

The Ontario native spent last season with the independently operated Chicago Wolves, where he served as captain for the first time in his 14-year AHL career. He finished second on the team in scoring with 50 points (21 G, 29 A) in 61 games.

Terry spent the 2021-22 and 2022-23 campaigns in the Isles organization on AHL deals with Bridgeport. He served as an alternate captain both seasons and led them in scoring each time with showings of 61 and 78 points. He’ll be an important add to a Bridgeport club devoid of much high-powered offensive talent on loan from their parent club.

More from around the Eastern Conference:

  • Penguins netminder Alex Nedeljkovic is being evaluated for a lower-body injury after leaving last night’s preseason win over the Red Wings in the first period, head coach Mike Sullivan said (via NHL.com). They’ll have a further update on his status later Tuesday. He’d be a significant loss if he’s not ready to start the season – Nedeljkovic started 12 of Pittsburgh’s final 13 games last season amid a tight race for a playoff spot. The 28-year-old signed a two-year, $5MM extension to remain in Pittsburgh last June after posting a .902 SV% in 38 appearances. If he’s set to miss any time, 22-year-old Joel Blomqvist would have the inside track to start the season as Tristan Jarry’s backup before Nedeljkovic is ready to return.
  • There’s long been talk of a second NHL franchise in the Greater Toronto Area if the NHL decided on another round of aggressive expansion. With Rogers recently becoming the majority owner of the Maple Leafs’ parent corporation, however, that’s now likely out of the question, The Athletic’s Chris Johnston outlines.

Metro Notes: MacKinnon, Nedeljkovic, Rosen

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Although the Edmonton Oilers ultimately decided on Stan Bowman to fill their general manager vacancy, we now know of another candidate who was close to capturing the role. Originally reported by Elliotte Friedman on his ’32 Thoughts’ podcast and later extrapolated by James Nichols of NJ Hockey Now, New Jersey Devils assistant general manager Dan MacKinnon was very close to becoming the next GM for the Oilers.

MacKinnon began his executive career in 2000-01 for the Nashville Predators as the director of scouting before transitioning to the position of pro scout until the 2005-06 season. He would spend one year as a pro scout for the Pittsburgh Penguins before becoming the team’s director of professional scouting and then director of player personnel until 2015-16. Since his first year with the Penguins organization in 2006-07, MacKinnon has followed Devils’ GM Tom Fitzgerald the rest of the way.

He has spent the last four years as AGM in New Jersey with most of his responsibilities focused around the organization’s AHL affiliate, the Utica Comets. Coupled with this report, and MacKinnon being one of the finalists for the Penguins’ GM vacancy a year ago, it appears that MacKinnon is looking to detach himself from Fitzgerald and craft his own team.

Other Metro notes:

  • Whatever controversy surrounds the crease for the Penguins this year won’t be generated by either of the respective netminders. After agreeing to a two-year, $5MM extension earlier this summer, Alex Nedeljkovic spoke to local media and said, “[Jarry] was one of the first ones to text me when I re-signed, to say congrats and welcome back and, ‘Looking forward to getting back at it together’”. Nedeljkovic did not indicate if he had his eyes set on the starting job in Pittsburgh. Nevertheless, he’s earned an opportunity for a goaltending battle out of camp with Tristan Jarry after nearly willing the Penguins into the playoffs last year with an 8-1-2 record down the stretch and a .902 save percentage.
  • Longtime play-by-play announcer for the New York Rangers, Sam Rosen, is set to retire after the 2024-25 NHL season according to Dan Rosen of the NHL. Rosen began his career as a backup radio host with the Rangers for the 1977-78 season and saw the organization win their first Stanley Cup in over 50 years. The Rangers will have some big shoes to fill when the current longest-serving, Hall of Fame announcer hangs them up at the end of the year.

Penguins Sign Alex Nedeljkovic To Two-Year Extension

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The Pittsburgh Penguins have officially signed goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic to a two-year, $5.0MM contract extension. The deal was first reported by Frank Seravalli of the Daily Faceoff (Twitter link). The deal carries an annual cap hit of $2.5MM, committing Pittsburgh to a total of $7.875MM between starter Tristan Jarry and backup Nedeljkovic.

Nedeljkovic was set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1st, after playing through a one-year, $1.5MM contract signed last summer. He appeared in 38 NHL games this season – just the second-most he’s played in one season – and managed good results, posting 18 wins and a .902 save percentage. He stood as a reliable backup option for the Penguins, clawing his way back to an everyday role in the NHL after spending much of the 2022-23 season in the minor leagues. It was a hard fall for Nedeljkovic, who had a career year in 2021-22, serving as the Detroit Red Wings’ starter, managing 20 wins and a .901 save percentage across 59 appearances. That season remains the only year that Nedeljkovic has filled a starter role at the NHL level, though he’s made spot starts as far back as the 2016-17 season. Now 28, Nedeljkovic has totaled 141 games across seven years in the NHL, managing 60 wins and a .906 save percentage even amongst tough deployment.

The Penguins seem pleased with Nedeljkovic’s inaugural year with the club, and will now bring him back with a slight pay raise and a bit more term to once again fill the backup role behind Jarry, whose signed through the 2027-28 season. Strong performances could earn Nedeljkovic the role through the end of Jarry’s deal, though top goalie prospect Joel Blomqvist could soon pose tough competition.

Penguins Notes: Pettersson, Nedeljkovic, Smith, Rakell, Bemstrom

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While Sidney Crosby’s potential for a contract extension will certainly dominate the offseason speculation in Pittsburgh, he’s not the only Penguins player of note who is eligible for a new deal.  Blueliner Marcus Pettersson will be entering the final year of his contract next season, making him eligible to sign an extension as of July 1st.

While many expect Crosby will sign quickly, Rob Rossi of The Athletic reports (subscription link) that the team is optimistic that Pettersson will also put pen to paper on a new deal quickly this summer.  The 27-year-old is coming off his best season, one that saw him post career-highs offensively with four goals and 26 assists while also logging 22:40 per night, another benchmark that also put him third on the team in that regard.  Producing like and playing the minutes of a second-pairing defender should have Pettersson in line for a fairly sizable raise on his current $4.025MM price tag.

More from Pittsburgh:

  • Alex Nedeljkovic certainly played well down the stretch, playing a big role in their late push for a playoff spot. That performance may push him out of Pittsburgh altogether though as Rossi notes that the team is operating with the belief that the 28-year-old will get better offers in free agency than what the team can afford to offer.  That means that Tristan Jarry would return as the starter next season with prospect Joel Blomqvist potentially moving up from the minors to serve as the backup.  Nedeljkovic finished with 2.97 GAA and a .902 SV% in 38 games, positioning himself for a raise on the $1.5MM he received this season.
  • Still from Rossi, winger Reilly Smith wasn’t moved at the trade deadline with his market being thin due to having another year at a $5MM price point but the team believes there will be more interest this summer now that he’ll be a rental. The 33-year-old took a step back offensively in his first season with the Pens, going from 26 goals and 30 assists to 13 and 27 respectively, good for seventh in team scoring.  A capable two-way forward with over 100 playoff games under his belt, Smith should definitely have some suitors this summer but GM Kyle Dubas may need to retain salary to maximize the return for him.
  • One winger who struggled this year was Rickard Rakell who was limited to 15 goals and 22 assists in 70 games. If you take out the pandemic-shortened 2020-21 campaign, this was Rakell’s lowest output since his first full NHL season back in 2014-15.  Speaking with SportExpressen’s Gunnar Nordstrom, the 30-year-old indicated that he had been playing through a shoulder injury going back to his return to the lineup back in December (when he missed a dozen games due to that issue) which certainly could have played a role in his decline in production.  Because of the injury, Rakell has declined an invitation to play at the Worlds next month.

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