Red Wings acquire Nedeljkovic from Hurricanes in potential Yzerman heist
Yzerman #Yzerman
The Red Wings have filled their short-term need in net — and perhaps their long-term need, too.
Detroit acquired 25-year-old goalie Alex Nedeljkovic from the Hurricanes on Thursday in exchange for free-agent-to-be Jonathan Bernier and a 2021 third-round pick. The Wings then signed Nedeljkovic to a two-year, $6 million deal.
This has the potential to be a heist by Detroit. Nedeljkovic led the NHL in save percentage (.932) and goals against average (1.90) last season on his way to finishing third for Rookie of the Year. The caveat is the sample size: he only played in 23 games. He’s also small for his position at 6’0.
But Nedeljkovic, 2014 second-round pick, backed up his numbers in the playoffs by posting a .920 save percentage and a 2.17 goals against average in nine games before Carolina bowed out to Tampa Bay. If he can carry this standard forward, the Red Wings just found their goalie of the future.
At the very least, they acquired someone to pair next season with Thomas Greiss, who has one more year on his contract. And all the Wings gave up was a goalie they weren’t going to re-sign and a pick they acquired from Vegas in the Tomas Tatar trade three years ago.
To top it off, Nedeljkovic signed with the Wings for less money than he was seeking from the Hurricanes. He was asking Carolina for a salary in the $3.5 million range, according to Frank Seravalli. Detroit got him at $3 million even.
Looks like another win for Steve Yzerman.