Alex Nedeljkovic of the Pittsburgh Penguins was bothered by just one question

One of the main reasons why the Pittsburgh Penguins did not make the 2023 playoffs, for the first time since 2006, is their goaltending situation. Both Tristan Jarry and Casey DeSmith struggled with consistency and to make matters worse, Jarry suffered a lower-body injury that forced him to miss too many games and DeSmith missed some too many games.

Strengthening goaltending was one of the priorities for new general manager (GM) Kyle Dubas when he took up the role in June. On 1 July, he signed Jarry to a contract extension contract, a move that surprised many, and he later acquired unrestricted free agent (UFA) Alex Nedeljkovic. The move made DeSmith expendable and he was included in a three-team deal in which the Penguins acquired highly-rated defenseman Erik Karlsson. Although Jarry has his own question marks, Nedeljkovic carries a lot of burden for the team and it is worth asking:
Which Alex Nedeljkovic do the Penguins get?

Nedeljkovic with the Carolina Hurricanes

As strange as it may seem, Alex Nedeljkovic’s NHL career began in the 2016-2017 season – admittedly, in three seasons until 2019-2020, he only played six games. His first real look came during the COVID-shortened 56-game 2021 season, when the young guard made headlines with his impressive numbers.

In 23 appearances that season, he wrested control of the Hurricanes’ net from James Reimer and Petr Mrazek and posted a 15-5-3 record, a 1.90 goals-against average (GAA) and a .932 save percentage (SV%) – both best marks in the NHL. His goals saved above average (GSAA) of 16 ranks him fifth in the NHL, behind Juuse Saros and Marc-André Fleury but ahead of Connor Hellebuyck. Although Nedeljkovic was not considered the best goaltender in the NHL for the Vezina Trophy, he was still selected to the All-Rookie team and finished third in Calder Trophy voting as the best rookie in the NHL. In the playoffs, although the Hurricanes lost to the future Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning in the second round, Nedeljkovic was solid. In 11 appearances, he went 4-5-0, producing a 2.17 GAA and .920 SV. He also had a first round loss to the Nashville Predators.

However, Nedeljkovic with the Detroit Red Wings

In July 2021, Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman traded 32-year-old goaltender Jonathan Bernier and a third-round pick in the 2021 NHL draft to Carolina for Nedeljkovic. Clearly, the numbers posted by the young goalkeeper caught Yzerman’s attention and he felt that the seven years younger goalkeeper would be a great addition to his big Yzerplan. Ah, but the best plans of mice and men…

No longer protected by a Hurricanes team of Sebastian Aho, Dougie Hamilton and Jacob Slavin, Nedeljkovic found himself regularly under fire. First, he has played 59 games, compared to 31 for veteran backup Thomas Greiss, and the added load may have been too much for him. Nedeljkovic also faced significantly more shots in Detroit than he did in Carolina, about 33.35 shots per 60 minutes versus 27.9 shots per 60 minutes, respectively.

In October. On December 14, 2021, in the Red Wings’ second game of the season, the Lightning bombed the young goaltender with seven goals. Although the Red Wings pushed the defending Stanley Cup champions into overtime in this game and probably found some positives in it, it did reveal something about Nedeljkovic and the Red’s defense. Wings:
This is going to be a long, bad season.

Nedeljkovic has allowed seven goals on three occasions, including one on March 27, 2022, when the Penguins chased him after 37 minutes and scored a total of 11 goals. He conceded six goals on three other occasions – once being chased – and conceded five goals seven more times. Although Nedeljkovic made four appearances and finished with a record