per Dobber...
Ramblings: E. Kane Gambling Allegations, Bertuzzi Signs, Kuemper, Nedeljkovic (Aug 1)
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Alex Nedeljkovic
Oh yeah, speaking of goalie values being tied to a team… Nedeljkovic's trade was a surprise, and not in a positive way to his fantasy owners. Sure, Steve Yzerman is rebuilding the Red Wings the right way, but a proper rebuild takes time. Dylan Larkin aside, the Wings' future core players are mostly 21 and under. Nedeljkovic could stick around beyond his two-year contract, which by that time should have the Wings at least out of the basement of the Atlantic Division.
It is possible for a goalie in Detroit to post half-decent numbers over certain stretches, even if the wins don't come often enough. Jonathan Bernier (recently signed with the Devils) posted a .914 SV% in his final season in Detroit, including a .920 SV% in the second quarter and a .925 SV% in the third quarter. In addition, Thomas Greiss posted a 1.17 GAA and .962 SV% over his final seven games. The full-season numbers for both goalies don't look quite as good, as you'd expect.
It's even possible that Nedeljkovic improves on those Detroit goalie numbers. His 15.62 GSAA (goals saved above average) was the fifth-highest total in the league, not to mention his 1.90 GAA and .932 SV% being the strongest in the league among goalies that had played at least 15 games. Between placing him on waivers to send him to the minors and eventually trading him, Carolina didn't seem to value him for some reason. In the end, maybe they felt more comfortable with veteran goalies for their Stanley Cup aspirations as opposed to Ned, who had played only six NHL games prior to 2020-21.
On a Red Wings team that probably won't make the playoffs, Nedeljkovic won't likely record a sub-2.00 GAA or twice as many wins as losses (he finished 15-5-3 in 2020-21). However, it may be better to take a longer-term view of Nedeljkovic beyond the coming season if possible. For this season, though, it is difficult to keep him in the top 100."