The Sharks have sent their 2028 third-round pick to the Penguins in exchange for goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic, both clubs announced.
In a clever move by the Sharks, the team has strengthened their goaltending while providing an avenue to playing time for youngster Yaroslav Askarov. Since San Jose isn’t expected to contend for a postseason spot next season, the team has nothing to lose by making Nedeljkovic the starting netminder should Askarov stumble out of the gates. And yet, if Askarov succeeds as planned, Nedeljkovic will revert to a familiar backup role.
It wasn’t long ago that Nedeljkovic was receiving votes for the Calder Memorial Trophy. During the 2020-21 season with the Carolina Hurricanes, Nedeljkovic managed a 15-5-3 record in 23 games with an impressive .932 SV% and 1.90 GAA. Had he continued that output for even 40 games, he would have had a better case for rookie of the year.
Thinking that they had their answer in net, the Detroit Red Wings acquired Nedeljkovic the following offseason. His time in Detroit was where he became seen as a weak starting, but quality backup netminder, earning a 25-31-11 record in 74 games with a .900 SV% and 3.35 GAA. To be fair to Nedeljkovic, the Red Wings put together a lethargic team in front of him.
Going unqualified after the 2022-23 campaign, Nedeljkovic quickly signed on with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Despite nearly willing the Penguins to the postseason in his first year with the club, Nedeljkovic finishes his tenure in Pittsburgh with a 32-22-12 record, a .898 SV%, and 3.05 GAA.
PHR’s Brennan McClain contributed significantly to this article.