(Photo by Charles LeClaire/USA Today Sports)

It’s safe to say that the last few years have not gone nearly as well as goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic had hoped for. 

After an amazing (and unexpected) rookie campaign in Carolina with the Hurricanes, it’s been back to back years of hardship with the Red Wings in Detroit. 

Now, coming off statistically the worst season of his NHL career, both he and the Penguins are very hopeful he can turn things around in Pittsburgh. 

Nedeljkovic burst onto the scene in Carolina during the 2020-21 season. Having played just 6 NHL games prior, Nedeljkovic benefitted from the taxi squad that existed during the height of hockey in the Covid-era, allowing the Hurricanes to keep him available. 

He became a top goaltender in the National Hockey League instantly. In 23 games during his rookie season, he put up a .932 save percentage and a 1.90 goals against average. Both of those numbers led the entire league. 

He made highlight reel save after highlight reel save, and helped backstop the Hurricanes to a division title and a playoff spot. In the postseason, Nedeljkovic didn’t miss a beat, recording a .920 save percentage and a 2.10 goals against average in 9 contests. 

Nedeljkovic looked poised to be one of the top goaltenders in the league based on the, albeit very brief, sample size. But, unable to agree on a new contract with the Canes, Carolina was forced to trade the restricted free agent to the Red Wings in exchange for goalie Jonathan Bernier and a third round pick. 

Upon arrival in Detroit, he signed a two year deal that carried a $3 million cap hit, a contract that looked great on the signing date, but would look ugly fast. 

Nedeljkovic would fall off a cliff in his first year in Detroit, suffering through a rough season for the Red Wings and posting a 3.31 goals against average and a .901 save percentage. He appeared in a career high 55 games that season, and despite his bad numbers that season, things would only get worse.

Last season, he put up a 3.53 goals against average and a .895 save percentage. His poor play forced the Red Wings to place him on waivers before being sent down to their AHL team in Grand Rapids. 

His numbers did start to bounce back in Grand Rapids (2.71 GAA and .912 Sv%), but overall his time with the Red Wings was absolutely brutal. 

Now, on a reduced, $1.5 million cap hit deal and backing up Tristan Jarry, the question now becomes: Can Nedeljkovic prove himself again? 

In all fairness to Nedeljkovic, he was far from the only person who has had a rough past few years in Detroit. Even on the goaltending front, no one has had a good last two years. To put things in perspective, Nedeljkovic’s .901 in 2021-22 led the Red Wings, and his .895 was the tiniest amount possible behind Ville Husso’s .896 for the team lead in 2022-23. 

Detroit has been dragging along through a lengthy rebuild, and although they have been slowly progressing over the last few years, it still has been mighty hard for any goaltender in Detroit to succeed. 

We’ve seen what Nedeljkovic can do when he is behind a more competitive squad in front of him. He dominated the league and was unreal, even in the playoffs (and man do the Penguins need any goalie to play well in the postseason). 

There could be some concern that with a blueline corps that includes Kris Letang and now Erik Karlsson, two of the most offensively minded defenders in the game, Nedeljkovic won’t get much help on defense. But, in the same vein, the Penguins also have both Ryan Graves and Marcus Pettersson, two of the more underrated defensively-minded guys in the league. 

A comeback is definitely possible for the 27 year old netminder, but time will tell if this gamble Pittsburgh is making is worth it.