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Alex Nedeljkovic

Goaltending Questions Loom For The Penguins

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Despite a difficult season that included two demotions to the AHL, Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry has done enough to retain the starting job heading into next year, Seth Rorabaugh of triblive.com believes.

As Rorabaugh notes, the 30-year-old Jarry posted less-than-stellar numbers on the season but showed improvement after returning from being waived and then demoted to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. All told, Jarry appeared in 36 NHL games, with a 16-12-6 record, 3.12 goals against average, and .893 save percentage. However, in his final 14 games, Jarry had an 8-4-2 record, .904 save percentage, and two shutouts. It’s also important to note that much of the criticism surrounding the Penguins has focused on their defensive play in front of their goaltenders, including the play of big contract players like Erik Karlsson and Ryan Graves.

Still, Jarry’s performance over the past few seasons has been deeply disappointing for a Penguins team caught between trying to stay competitive and facing the growing need to begin a rebuild. His late-season improvements were likely enough to justify keeping him as the starter next season, but not enough for GM Kyle Dubas to generate trade interest from teams in need of goaltending who believe that Jarry is back to his all-star form.

And as Rorabaugh points out, Dubas indicated in his year-end press conference that he expects Jarry to be in an open competition with the club’s other goaltenders coming into training camp, making a potential buyout sound unlikely. Also under contract is Alex Nedeljkovic, whom the team views as a reliable NHL backup, but not a viable starting option. Like Jarry, Nedeljkovic struggled last season behind an inconsistent defense, finishing with a 14-15-5 record and a .894 save percentage.

The Penguins’ system is stocked with polished prospects, but it remains unclear whether any have the experience to handle a significant NHL workload. That group includes Sergei Murashov, who performed well in both the ECHL and AHL this past season, though it was his first year playing in North America. Joel Blomqvist also impressed at the AHL level but struggled during his first taste of NHL action. Murashov, 21, the Penguins’ fourth-round selection in the 2022 draft, posted a .913 save percentage in 16 games in the AHL after posting even better numbers in the ECHL. He also broke a Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins record by winning his first 10 games. While his continued development is something to closely monitor, the Russian is unlikely to push Jarry or Nedeljkovic for playing time to start the season.

All things considered, Jarry appears to have a path to retaining the starting job next season, even if it may not be the team’s ideal scenario.

Metro Notes: Sullivan, Penguins Goaltending, Fehervary

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The Pittsburgh Penguins won’t be among the few teams looking for a new bench boss this summer. In an article from Wes Crosby of NHL.com, the Penguins will retain head coach Mike Sullivan through the 2025-26 NHL season.

Sullivan’s tenure as the longest-serving coach in franchise history is a story of two distinct coaching periods. He guided Pittsburgh to back-to-back Stanley Cup championships in 2016 and 2017, and into the playoffs for another five years after.

Unfortunately, the dream ended in 2022-23, as the Penguins missed the playoffs for the first time since the 2005-06 season. Throughout his first 507 games behind the bench, he coached Pittsburgh to a 297-156-54 record. Since the start of the 2022-23 campaign, the Penguins have only mustered a 112-99-35 in the last 246 games under Sullivan’s tutelage.

Other notes from the Metropolitan Division:

  • In a separate article from Michelle Crechiolo, General Manager Kyle Dubas indicated that netminders Tristan Jarry and Alex Nedeljkovic would compete for the spot they wanted in training camp. Indirectly, that confirms that the Penguins intend to keep both netminders on the team throughout the summer, and that won’t be an area they’ll look to improve externally. Both goalies showed flashes of quality play throughout the 2024-25 season. Still, Pittsburgh finished the year with a 30th-ranked 3.50 GA/G and a 27th-ranked .884 SV%.
  • Defenseman Martin Fehérváry isn’t in the lineup for the Washington Capitals in Game 1 of their opening-round matchup against the Montreal Canadiens, as alluded to by Sammi Silber of The Hockey News this morning. Fehérváry continues to recover from an ankle injury suffered in Washington’s penultimate game of the season. Still, it granted an opportunity for Alexander Alexeyev, who’s taken Fehérváry’s spot in the lineup for tonight’s contest.

Penguins’ Goalie Prospect Sergei Murashov Making Waves

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Pittsburgh Penguins’ goalie prospect Sergei Murashov is making the most of his first season playing in North America, as he recently set a franchise record for the AHL-affiliate Wilkes-Barre/Scranton by winning his 10th game in a row, per a team release.

Pittsburgh’s fourth round selection in the 2022 draft, Murashov spent 26 games in the ECHL to begin the season before getting called up to the AHL. In 11 games for the Baby Pens, he has a 10-0-0 record to pair with his .916 save percentage. The 20-year-old from Yaroslavl, Russia also posted a 13-game win streak with the ECHL’s Wheeling Nailers from Nov. 6 to Jan. 8, which set the longest streak in their history as well.

While Murashov still has room to grow, his statistics and results this season show that he’s at least knocking on the door of the NHL. His development adds an extra element to Pittsburgh’s goaltending situation moving forward, which includes the shaky play of former all-star Tristan Jarry, the up-and-down contributions of backup Alex Nedeljkovic, and the continued development of fellow prospect Joel Blomqvist.

The most polarizing of these names is of course Jarry, who has struggled mightily since signing a five-year, $26,875,000 contract in July 2023. The 29-year-old, two-time all-star, has recorded a .894 save percentage this season, and found himself demoted to the AHL in an effort to rediscover his once promising game. His play of late has significantly improved – corresponding with the team’s surge in play – and has recorded a .928 save percentage over his last five games.

Due to Jarry’s mid-season demotion, Nedeljkovic has played the most games in Pittsburgh this season (33 starts) but has also struggled compared to previous success. Just last season, “Ned” played in 33 games for the Pens and recorded an 18-7-7 record to go along with a .902 save percentage. That was good enough to secure a two-year, $5MM contract to stay in Pittsburgh. But despite his usual standing as a trustworthy NHL-level backup, Nedeljkovic has recorded just a .893 save percentage on the season.

Blomqvist, Pittsburgh’s second round selection in the 2020 draft, has struggled in 15 games in the NHL this season, recording an .885 save percentage and a 4-9-1 record. However, in 15 games at the AHL-level, the 23-year-old has registered a strong .915 save percentage.

While there appears to be a bit of a log jam between the pipes in Pittsburgh, none of the goalies ahead of Murashov on the organization’s depth chart has done themselves any favors – even when factoring in the poor defensive play of Pittsburgh’s blueliners this season. General manager Kyle Dubas will have key decisions to make if he intends to clear a path for Murashov moving forward.

Penguins Expected To Be Sellers At Trade Deadline

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Josh Yohe of The Athletic believes that the Pittsburgh Penguins will be sellers regardless of their position in the standings. Yohe wrote about the unusual position the Penguins find themselves in heading into the second half of the NHL season. Pittsburgh has fought its way back into the Wild Card conversation in the Eastern Conference, and despite being largely made up of veteran players, general manager Kyle Dubas has his eye on the future and intends to sell.

Yohe says that his league sources predict the Penguins will make multiple moves to jettison veterans and that “no one is safe” on Pittsburgh, except for the players holding full no-trade protection (Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin to name a few). Marcus Pettersson is certainly a name Pittsburgh will move on from given his contractual status, but one name that could also go is forward Rickard Rakell. The 31-year-old is having a nice bounce-back season with 22 goals in 45 games. However, Yohe pours cold water on that notion, saying that Pittsburgh is likely to hold onto him for this year unless they receive a big offer.

While all signs point to Pittsburgh packing it in for the season and missing the playoffs for a third straight year, Yohe believes that the Penguins may see the trading of veteran players as an opportunity to call up some of their prospects who are NHL-ready, most notably goaltender Joel Blomqvist who is arguably the best netminder in the Penguins entire organization and their best chance at steady goaltending. Tristan Jarry has struggled for well over a calendar year and doesn’t look like an NHL goaltender at the moment, and Alex Nedeljkovic has been wildly inconsistent this season after putting together a nice campaign a year ago.

While the Penguins would love to move on from some of their pricier veterans, they will be in tough to do so as Jarry has three years left on his contract after this season with an AAV of $5.375MM, and defenseman Ryan Graves has four years on his deal at $4.5MM. Those deals were two of the first contracts Dubas handed out in Pittsburgh, and they’ve aged like milk. In previous years, those types of contracts would have been untradeable, but with the cap rising next season, it’s not out of the question that the Penguins could move on from those players in the next six months.

Morning Notes: Leddy, Crosby, Nedeljkovic

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Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic speculated on the future of defenseman Nick Leddy and the St. Louis Blues. Rutherford doesn’t think the Blues can count on more than bottom-pairing minutes from the veteran rearguard, who has one year remaining on his contract after this season at a $4MM cap hit. The 33-year-old is out with a lower-body injury and appeared close to a return as he was travelling with the team on their road trip. However, the injury flared up, and he was forced to return to St. Louis.

The former Stanley Cup Champion has played just four games this season after playing a full slate of games last year. He hasn’t posted any points this year, but he did tally three goals and 25 assists last season, which were his best offensive numbers since the shortened 2020-21 season while he was a member of the Islanders.

In other morning notes:

  • Josh Yohe of The Athletic writes that Pittsburgh Penguins superstar Sidney Crosby wasn’t thrilled with some fans who attended last night’s 6-2 loss to the Colorado Avalanche. Crosby, who is notoriously positive, commented on the Penguins winning five of their last seven games, saying, “You wouldn’t know it tonight. Would you? I mean, getting booed on the power play (in the third period.)” The Penguins were down 4-2 at the time and weren’t generating much with the man advantage. However, the club has turned around in recent weeks and was coming off arguably their best game of the season on Saturday against Toronto. Crosby showed visible frustration at the end of last night’s game, smashing his stick after Colorado scored an empty netter to clinch the game.
  • Penguins’ backup goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic took a puck to the face while sitting on the bench last night in the Penguins’ loss (as per Josh Yohe of The Athletic). The 28-year-old was hit under his right eye by a puck in the first period and came back out in the second period sporting a black eye. Nedeljkovic told reporters that he would be fine, so it doesn’t appear to be a cause for concern going forward. The Penguins haven’t received great goaltending this season from Nedeljkovic as he has struggled to a 4-5-3 record with a 3.37 goals-against average and a .882 save percentage.

East Notes: Penguins, Hughes, Pesce, Ullmark

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There were some expectations that Joel Blomqvist’s days with the Pittsburgh Penguins were numbered with the organization recalling Alex Nedeljkovic earlier today. We now know that isn’t the case as Seth Rorabaugh of Tribune-Review Sports reports the team will carry both along with Tristan Jarry through the team’s upcoming four-game road trip.

Blomqvist has played his way into an extended stay with the club after securing a 2-2-0 record through four games with a .908 save percentage compared to a 1-1-0 record and .836 SV% from Jarry. It’s already been suggested there’s an open competition between the pipes to increase their chances of winning each game. There appears to be a pathway for Blomqvist to become the everyday starter for the Penguins if he continues to play well despite only being 23 years old.

Rorabaugh also mentions that forwards Blake Lizotte, Matthew Nieto, and Vasily Ponomarev skated this morning but will not travel with the team for their road trip. Each of the trio has been nursing injuries to open the 2024-25 campaign with the latter likely headed to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton once he’s medically cleared to return.

Other East notes:

  • The New Jersey Devils are eagerly awaiting the return of defensemen Luke Hughes and Brett Pesce to their active roster. Team reporter Amanda Stein shared that both defensemen skated with the team this morning but aren’t expected back sooner than anticipated. It’s a positive step in the right direction for both players but don’t tell New Jersey they’re supposed to be missing them. The team currently leads the Eastern Conference in points with 10 after a 5-2-0 start through their first seven games.
  • The strain afflicting Ottawa Senators goaltender Linus Ullmark has been more severe than expected. It’s supposed to last much longer as TSN’s Bruce Garrioch reports he is close to a return despite potent caution from the team. The likely scenario is that the organization was concerned Ullmark may reaggravate the strain or develop a worse injury altogether if he returned sooner, so the slow return may prove beneficial in the long run.

Penguins Recall Alex Nedeljkovic From Conditioning Loan

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Saturday: Nedeljkovic’s stint in the minors was short-lived as the team announced that he has been recalled from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.  He made 33 saves on 36 shots in their victory over Lehigh Valley.

Thursday: Alex Nedeljkovic is on the verge of returning from his lower-body injury, as the team announced they’d activated him from injured reserve and assigned him to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on a conditioning loan. He’ll now count against the 23-man roster limit, but Pittsburgh had an open spot after sending Rutger McGroarty to the minors yesterday, so no corresponding transaction is necessary.

Nedeljkovic hasn’t played at all this season after sustaining the injury during an exhibition game against the Red Wings on Sep. 30. He was listed as week-to-week a couple of days later and landed on IR when the Penguins announced their opening night roster. He did end up missing well over the seven days required for an IR placement, but it’s clear now he wouldn’t have been out long enough to land on LTIR.

The 28-year-old can remain in the AHL for up to 14 days on his conditioning stint, but once he returns, he’s expected to challenge for a 1A/starting role in Pittsburgh. He took over those duties down the stretch last season, finishing the campaign with an 18-7-7 record and .902 SV% in 38 appearances. Even with those pedestrian numbers, that’s certainly a better option than what the more established Tristan Jarry has given them to start this season. Jarry also struggled to the tune of a rather average .903 SV% last year and is off to a tough start this October with a .833 SV% and 5.47 GAA in three starts.

With Nedeljkovic soon returning, there’s a legitimate argument to be made that Jarry has fallen to No. 3 on Pittsburgh’s goaltending depth chart. 22-year-old Joel Blomqvist made the opening night roster with Nedeljkovic injured and has been the superior option in a limited sample, making 84 saves on 92 shots faced for a .913 SV% in his first three career NHL appearances. For a team with playoff aspirations, it’ll be hard to justify sending the waiver-exempt Blomqvist to the minors at the expense of keeping Jarry, meaning the latter could potentially end up on waivers with four years left on his five-year, $26.88MM deal. There’s no rush, though, as the Pens are cap-compliant with 13 forwards, seven defensemen, and three goalies.

Penguins Not Set On A Starting Goaltender Moving Forward

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Josh Yohe wrote in The Athletic (Subscription Required) about some early-season observations with the Pittsburgh Penguins. After three games of the 2024-25 regular season, the biggest takeaway is that the Penguins are allowing Joel Blomqvist to become the starting netminder moving forward.

Consistent goaltending has been difficult to find in Pittsburgh over the last couple of years. The team didn’t foresee this being an issue when they committed to Tristan Jarry after the 2022-23 season with a five-year, $26.88MM contract. In the four years before that deal, Jarry had earned a 103-52-17 record with the Penguins from 2020 to 2023 with a .915 save percentage and a 2.62 goals-against average.

The contract didn’t look half bad for Pittsburgh in the first few months of the 2023-24 NHL season with Jarry putting up a .916 SV% by the end of the calendar year. Once the calendar flipped over to 2024; however, his performance went off the rails. Jarry finished the regular season on a run of 8-14-3 with a .891 SV% and lost the starting job to Alex Nedeljkovic down the stretch.

They brought back Nedeljkovic on an affordable two-year, $5MM contract but a preseason injury put the organization in a position to call up Blomqvist from their AHL affiliate in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Pittsburgh opted to start Jarry for their regular season opener and he quickly disappointed by allowing six goals on 40 shots in a blowout loss.

Pittsburgh pivoted to Blomqvist for their next game, this time against the Detroit Red Wings, where he won the first NHL start of his young career. The Uusikaarlepyy, Finland native stopped 29 of 32 shots against Detroit, and head coach Mike Sullivan stuck with him for their game against the Toronto Maple Leafs. He posted a repeat performance, stopping 29 of 32 shots, this time in a loss.

Yohe notes in his article that a contract similar to Jarry’s indicates the team will afford him more mistakes than usual but that will not be the case. The team is holding an open competition for the starting job and will likely ride the hot hand for much of the season.

Penguins Notes: Rust, Nedeljkovic, Nieto

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Pittsburgh Penguins forward Bryan Rust participated in the team practice today wearing a white (non-contact) jersey (as per Seth Rorabaugh of Tribune-Review Sports). Rust has been dealing with an injury that he likely suffered in a preseason game against the Columbus Blue Jackets and may not suit up for the Penguins opener this week.

Pittsburgh general manager Kyle Dubas told the media yesterday that the team was taking extra precautions with Rust, who will certainly be a key cog for the Penguins this season alongside Sidney Crosby on the top line. Anthony Beauvillier has been taking Rust’s spot on the Penguins top line alongside Crosby and Drew O’Connor, however, Rust appeared to be getting reacclimated with his linemates today which likely means he is close to returning.

In other Pittsburgh Penguins notes:

  • Penguins’ goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic returned to the ice today prior to Pittsburgh’s practice (as per Seth Rorabaugh of Tribune-Review Sports). The Penguins backup is considered week to week due to an undisclosed injury and landed on injured reserve earlier this week. His injury will force the Penguins to rely heavily on starter Tristan Jarry to start the year after Jarry didn’t play in Pittsburgh’s final 13 games of the regular season last year. If both netminders post similar results to last season, its possible that Nedeljkovic could become the Penguin’s starter this season.
  • Penguins forward Matt Nieto also skated today before Penguins practice (as per Seth Rorabaugh of Tribune-Review Sports). The 31-year-old had surgery on his right knee in January and was slated to return to the lineup but missed the remainder of the season and then required left knee surgery in May. Nieto has been skating infrequently with his other injured teammates and is reportedly still two months away from returning to the lineup (as per Rorabaugh). The Penguins have a stockpile of bottom-six forwards available to them making it unlikely that Nieto will receive much playing time when he does return to health.

Alex Nedeljkovic Out Week-To-Week With Lower-Body Injury

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The Penguins announced that goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic is listed as week-to-week with a lower-body injury, with Wes Crosby of NHL.com among those to relay the news. The news puts the netminder’s availability for their season opener against the Rangers on Oct. 9 in serious doubt.

Nedeljkovic departed his start on Monday midway through the first period. In the likely scenario that he’s not ready to go by the time the opening night roster is due, expect him to start the year on the non-roster list with 22-year-old Joel Blomqvist, the organization’s top goaltending prospect, backing up Tristan Jarry in his stead.

It’s tough news to swallow for the Penguins, who kept Nedeljkovic off this offseason’s UFA market with a two-year, $5MM extension. He stole the crease from Jarry down the stretch last season as Pittsburgh tried but failed to avoid missing the postseason for the second year in a row.

Nedeljkovic, 28, put up perfectly average numbers in a 1B role behind Jarry last year. The former Hurricanes second-rounder made 38 appearances, the second-highest mark of his career, and posted an 18-7-7 record with a .902 SV% and a 2.97 GAA with one shutout.

In the meantime, there are certainly worse fallback options than Jarry and Blomqvist. Jarry is entering his fifth season as the Pens’ starter, and while his .903 SV% last year was certainly underwhelming, he’s long been an above-average starter and has finished in the top 10 in Vezina Trophy voting twice. Blomqvist was likely due for some NHL looks this season anyway after shutting the door with a .921 SV% and 2.16 in 45 games for AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in 2023-24, earning himself a spot on the league’s All-Rookie Team.

The Pens also announced a bevy of other minor injury updates. Chief among them is defenseman Erik Karlsson, who skated again today as he attempts to heal from an upper-body injury before the season opener. The three-time Norris winner has yet to be a full participant in camp but is still listed as day-to-day. They also said that potential fourth-line piece Blake Lizotte is out with a concussion and has no timeline yet for a return. Forward Vasiliy Ponomarev is also day-to-day with an upper-body injury but will likely be ready for the beginning of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s season.

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