TSN: Wings acquire Alex Nedeljkovic for Bernier and a 3rd

[waltdetroit]

Budaj's mask from Team Slovakia

 

[ManwithNoIdentity]

So much do be excited about with this team it’s a weird feeling

 

[deca guard]

 

[jaster]

I'm not a big metal fan, but most people I work with are, so at some point I came across this group. Okilly Dokilly, a Ned Flanders-inspired metal band. Somehow this applies to Nedeljkovic.

 

[jkutswings]

Amidst all the Cossa hype, I took some time away from being excited about our new guy.

But now I'm swinging right back because honestly this is the most talented goalie we've had in the system since Mrazek.

Nedeljkovic plays like a gamer. He's coming to his home state. He plays fast and aggressive. A goalie handling the puck back there will help our transition game so damn much.

I don't know how he'll hold up to playing 50 games, but there's tons to be excited about with this guy. Can't wait to have him anchoring our boys.

This is hilarious. I saw your post on the Cossa thread about changing your avatar. I came to this thread to grab the "Fonzi" pic for you...

...and you're already using it.

 

[brakeyawself]

So, I think getting Ned was a great move. To me he looks like a well above average future starting goalie. I was pretty shocked the Canes moved him honestly.

But this does have me question the Cossa pick. Unless they really don't feel like Ned is good enough long term. In which case, I would wonder why they traded for him.

 

[brakeyawself]

I know nothing about the guy, anyone have opinions on him they would like to share?

He was the Canes best goalie for long stretches last season. I think he's a future stud goalie in the NHL. But the Canes I gather see things differently. I could be wrong of course, but so might they be.

 

[Ghost of Ethan Hunt]

Peter Budaj's nickname was Ned Flanders. This was his mask

I thought Flanders sounded vaguely familiar...must've been buried in my subconscious. good find.

 

[Ghost of Ethan Hunt]

I'm not a big metal fan, but most people I work with are, so at some point I came across this group. Okilly Dokilly, a Ned Flanders-inspired metal band. Somehow this applies to Nedeljkovic.

Heavy Metal is just Techno on Steroids


Jazz is just an excuse to play the wrong notes


Many considered Led Zeppelin as the 1st ever Heavy Metal band...very hard classic rock, sure, but not metal imo. Cream (Clapton & co.) was another to be pigeonholed into this misnomer. Sabbath was probably the 1st Metal band. What are your thoughts on this?

 

[lhsgolf19]

After seeing this and them being in on Virtanen


I'm Glad Ned is no long a part of the crappy organization... All of that fun "bunch of jerks" is gone IMO

 

[Roomba With a Bauer]

But this does have me question the Cossa pick. Unless they really don't feel like Ned is good enough long term. In which case, I would wonder why they traded for him.

Here is kind of what I think:

Cossa is too good for the WHL, and you don't draft a guy at 15 that you don't see playing at least a game in the NHL within two years. Cossa will likely play full-time in the AHL next year and get a few games up with the Wings when injuries happen. If he adjusts to the pro-game well, then the next year he backs up and/or platoons with Nedejkovic. If Cossa looks to be the real deal at the NHL level, you trade Ned at the deadline. If Cossa looks like a bust, or like he needs more time, you resign Ned.

Between Ned and Cossa they probably feel pretty secure in their chances of having an NHL starter for 10 years.

 

[ThankGord]

“I’m kind of looking a little farther down the line,” Yzerman said. “He’s 19 (in November), he’s got another year of junior, then he turns pro. If he’s playing on our team in year three I’d be really, really happy, but I’d be more than comfortable with Alex Nedeljkovic. And Sebastian Cossa, we look two or three or four years down the line and Nedeljkovic is kind of mentoring. What he really does is he allows us time to be patient with Sebastian Cossa. Just let the natural development happen.”

Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman discusses timeline for newly drafted G Sebastian Cossa

 

[Gniwder]

Here is kind of what I think:

Cossa is too good for the WHL, and you don't draft a guy at 15 that you don't see playing at least a game in the NHL within two years. Cossa will likely play full-time in the AHL next year and get a few games up with the Wings when injuries happen. If he adjusts to the pro-game well, then the next year he backs up and/or platoons with Nedejkovic. If Cossa looks to be the real deal at the NHL level, you trade Ned at the deadline. If Cossa looks like a bust, or like he needs more time, you resign Ned.

Between Ned and Cossa they probably feel pretty secure in their chances of having an NHL starter for 10 years.

He can't play in the AHL next season. It's WHL or NHL, same crap as Raz went through.

 

[WF19]

So, I think getting Ned was a great move. To me he looks like a well above average future starting goalie. I was pretty shocked the Canes moved him honestly.

But this does have me question the Cossa pick. Unless they really don't feel like Ned is good enough long term. In which case, I would wonder why they traded for him.

If he turns out though, having 2 starters is nice to have

 

[Ed Ned and Leddy]

I think people undervalue the CHL as a developmental league, another year in the WHL with a full schedule and hopefully a WJC cameo sounds like a good step in Cossa's development. Pro hockey is not the be all and end all of development.

Nothing is set in stone, but there are rumors Wallstedt might come over to the WHL too.

 

[Roomba With a Bauer]

He can't play in the AHL next season. It's WHL or NHL, same crap as Raz went through.

Oh, yeah, I forgot about the AHL age rules. Could they convince Cossa to go play in the SHL for a year? He's too good for the WHL at this point.

 

[Gniwder]

Oh, yeah, I forgot about the AHL age rules. Could they convince Cossa to go play in the SHL for a year? He's too good for the WHL at this point.

Not every 18YO feels comfortable heading over to a foreign country and playing in an adult league. Let's keep things in perspective, he's a kid. I know a bunch of them played in Europe last season but that's a COVID anomaly.

Let him stay with a setting he's already comfortable with so he can focus on hockey. Entry level slide then a season in GR. We've got Ned to entertain us for a couple of years. No need to rush.

Keep in mind goalies are all headcases, the last thing you want to do is toy with an unstable mind.

 

[Roomba With a Bauer]

Not every 18YO feels comfortable heading over to a foreign country and playing in an adult league. Let's keep things in perspective, he's a kid. I know a bunch of them played in Europe last season but that's a COVID anomaly.

Let him stay with a setting he's already comfortable with so he can focus on hockey. Entry level slide then a season in GR. We've got Ned to entertain us for a couple of years. No need to rush.

Keep in mind goalies are all headcases, the last thing you want to do is toy with an unstable mind.

Cossa seems like he likes a challenge. If Wallstedt does come to the WHL (as another poster mentioned) he might want to stay there and face him directly.

 

[Gniwder]

Cossa seems like he likes a challenge. If Wallstedt does come to the WHL (as another poster mentioned) he might want to stay there and face him directly.

I don't know him well enough to judge. The last line was just a dig at Bench.

I know when I was 18, driving 6 hours to college was a big enough deal. These draft picks are all kids, it's not like the NFL.

 

[Roomba With a Bauer]

I don't know him well enough to judge. The last line was just a dig at Bench.

I know when I was 18, driving 6 hours to college was a big enough deal. These draft picks are all kids, it's not like the NFL.

I figure these guys are used to moving around, living with sponsor families and whatnot. I think the flameout rate of NHLers vs other sports is how NHL prospects are groomed from a young age for that lifestyle. Going to another country is a huge change, but Cossa has been spending his seasons away from home for years at this point.

edit: The agreement that stipulates that CHL drafted players must be returned to their CHL teams instead of the AHL might also restrict access to European leagues, so the point might be moot anyway.

 

[Gniwder]

I figure these guys are used to moving around, living with sponsor families and whatnot. I think the flameout rate of NHLers vs other sports is how NHL prospects are groomed from a young age for that lifestyle. Going to another country is a huge change, but Cossa has been spending his seasons away from home for years at this point.

edit: The agreement that stipulates that CHL drafted players must be returned to their CHL teams instead of the AHL might also restrict access to European leagues, so the point might be moot anyway.

Junior hockey has billet families, so it's not the same as living by yourself and playing pro.

A lot of kids who make the NHL jump right away wind up living with a teammate or in Sid's case, Mario's basement. NHL teams know they're dealing with kids. Not to sidetrack the topic, but I'm impressed with Seider in this regard, he's already very worldly.

 

[Lil Sebastian Cossa]

So, I think getting Ned was a great move. To me he looks like a well above average future starting goalie. I was pretty shocked the Canes moved him honestly.

But this does have me question the Cossa pick. Unless they really don't feel like Ned is good enough long term. In which case, I would wonder why they traded for him.

They had literally nothing in the pipeline. The other goalies of any worth decided not to re-sign (Petruzelli) or flopped horribly (Larsson) or simply aren't coming over to NA (Von Pottelberghe, which by the way, what the hell, why can't we have fun things)

This protects them if Nedeljkovic comes here and is nothing but a backup. It allows them to bring Cossa along at an appropriate timeframe and not accelerate him through the system like Petr Mrazek. Nedeljkovic is only signed for two years. I'd actually be pretty floored if Cossa gets more than a game or two at the end of the year with the Wings before Nedeljkovic's 2 year contract runs out. That's how it is with pretty much every move that most people don't get in the NHL. You need depth, everywhere. Edmonton? They could still use C depth even with two of the top 5 Cs in the game. It's also why Carolina and Nashville kept right on adding defensemen even though they had a ridiculously stocked cupboard. Because things can change super fast.

 

[Lil Sebastian Cossa]

Junior hockey has billet families, so it's not the same as living by yourself and playing pro.

A lot of kids who make the NHL jump right away wind up living with a teammate or in Sid's case, Mario's basement. NHL teams know they're dealing with kids. Not to sidetrack the topic, but I'm impressed with Seider in this regard, he's already very worldly.

Whose billet sister is a f***in rocket, boys?

 

[jaster]

After seeing this and them being in on Virtanen


I'm Glad Ned is no long a part of the crappy organization... All of that fun "bunch of jerks" is gone IMO

Between the Hawks, Canes, and Habs, there are a lot of organizations that are really easy to root against right now.

 

[Bench]

So, I think getting Ned was a great move. To me he looks like a well above average future starting goalie. I was pretty shocked the Canes moved him honestly.

But this does have me question the Cossa pick. Unless they really don't feel like Ned is good enough long term. In which case, I would wonder why they traded for him.

This is exactly how Yzerman handled things in Tampa.

In the same calendar year he drafted Vasilevskiy in the 1st round and traded for a 26-year-old Ben Bishop that had 29 career starts. Sound familiar?

If Nedeljkovic pans out, you have a starter that allows your blue chipper to develop. If they both pan out, you have a fantastic trade piece. If only one pans out, you're still good.

And if neither pan out this whole thing is moot and I have an existential crisis.