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Alex Nedeljkovic

Metropolitan Notes: Joseph, Nedeljkovic, Ruff, Del Bel Belluz

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While it had been believed that defenseman Pierre-Olivier Joseph has been a frequent healthy scratch lately, it turns out that isn’t exactly the case.  Head coach Mike Sullivan told reporters including Dave Molinari of Pittsburgh Hockey Now that he’d have liked to reinsert the blueliner in their lineup tonight against Carolina but Joseph is dealing with a lower-body injury.  It’s an issue that he has been dealing with for a little while which helps explain why he hasn’t played over the last couple of weeks.  The 24-year-old has played in five games so far this season, picking up an assist while averaging a little over 13 minutes a night.

More from the Metropolitan:

  • Still with the Penguins, Mark Divver of the New England Hockey Journal reports (Twitter link) that Alex Nedeljkovic has been recalled from his LTIR conditioning stint. The 27-year-old is working his way back from a lower-body injury and stopped 17 of 19 shots in a victory on Friday night.  Nedeljkovic also scored an empty-netter in that game, making him the first goalie in AHL history to have scored two career goals.
  • While Lindy Ruff has done well behind the bench in New Jersey, he nearly didn’t get the opportunity to coach there. Ryan Novozinsky of The Star-Ledger notes that Ruff was not on GM Tom Fitzgerald’s original shortlist of eight candidates to take over the head coach position back in 2020 but one of Fitzgerald’s friends encouraged him to interview Ruff.  The Devils set a franchise record for points last season, helping earn him a multi-year contract extension last month.
  • The OHL rights to Blue Jackets prospect Luca Del Bel Belluz have been acquired by Saginaw, per a team release. The 20-year-old is in his first professional season with AHL Cleveland and has fared well in his limited action so far, collecting two goals and three assists in six games.  Saginaw is hosting the Memorial Cup this year and if Columbus decides that they want Del Bel Belluz to go back and get top-line minutes, they’ll be sending him to a team that’s loading up for what should be a long playoff run.

Penguins Loan John Ludvig And Alex Nedeljkovic To AHL

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The Pittsburgh Penguins have announced that they’ve loaned defenseman John Ludvig and goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic to their AHL affiliate the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. The loan is for a conditioning stint so both players can get back up to game speed before they rejoin the NHL Penguins. Matt Vensel of Post-Gazette Sports is reporting that both players will be eligible to join the team on Sunday to play NHL games.

Ludvig and Nedeljkovic are both currently on long-term injured reserve and have already joined the Penguins in full practices before their AHL assignment. The Ludvig news is not surprising given that Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan has stated before that Ludvig would have a conditioning assignment, but Nedeljkovic was a bit of a surprise. The Penguins may have opted to allow him more time given that third-string goaltender Magnus Hellberg has filled in admirably for Nedeljkovic. Hellberg has a .922 save percentage in three appearances with a 1-0-0 record.

Ludvig suffered a concussion in his NHL debut on October 24th against the Dallas Stars and hasn’t dressed in a game since. The 23-year-old was a waiver claim before the start of the season and is one of the few Penguins defensemen who offer a bit of sandpaper. The Penguins currently have seven defensemen on their NHL roster and have used Ludvig’s LTIR to call up Vinnie Hinostroza who has been very good on the team’s rejuvenated fourth line. 

The Penguins’ third defensive pairing has been a revolving door all season with Ryan Shea and Chad Ruhwedel currently occupying the final pair. Pierre-Olivier Joseph started the year on the left side, but hasn’t been able to hold down a spot and has struggled when he has been re-inserted into the lineup. The Penguins also have Ty Smith in the minors as well as Will Butcher who is injured. Ludvig will give the Penguins further roster options but could also complicate their current roster construction when he is recalled.

Injury Updates: Kuemper, McGinn, Nedeljkovic, Ludvig

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Capitals goaltender Darcy Kuemper has been limited to eight games so far due to injuries and it might be a bit before that number goes up.  NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti relays that the netminder had to be helped to the dressing room after taking a shot to an unpadded area during practice today.  Head coach Spencer Carbery didn’t have a direct update at the time but noted that Kuemper’s situation was not ideal.  The 33-year-old has a 3.07 GAA with a .892 SV% so far this season and was already working his way back from an undisclosed injury.  Charlie Lindgren has been the starter while Kuemper was out and that will continue to be the case while they determine how long this latest issue will keep the veteran out.

Other injury news from around the NHL:

  • The Ducks welcomed back winger Brock McGinn to the lineup tonight, activating him off injured reserve. The 29-year-old had been dealing with a lower-body injury that kept him out for their first 15 games.  Last season, McGinn split time between Pittsburgh and Anaheim, who took on his contract at the trade deadline as part of the return for blueliner Dmitry Kulikov.
  • Penguins goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic is on track to return on Sunday, notes Matt Vensel of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. That is the first day that he’s eligible to be activated.  The 27-year-old skated for the first time today since suffering a lower-body injury three weeks ago.  Nedeljkovic is in his first season with Pittsburgh and has played twice for his new team so far.  Magnus Hellberg is likely to be sent back to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton once Nedeljkovic is cleared to return.
  • Also from Vensel’s column, defenseman John Ludvig is expected to be sent to the minors on a conditioning stint soon. The 23-year-old suffered a concussion less than six minutes into his NHL debut and has been on LTIR since then.  An LTIR conditioning loan is generally for a maximum of three games although it can be extended to five with league approval.  Ludvig would remain on LTIR for the duration of that assignment; the Penguins would need to open up enough cap space to activate him when he’s cleared to return.

Injury Notes: Jarry, Cozens, Timmins

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Josh Yohe of The Athletic is reporting that Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry left their game last night against the Anaheim Ducks after being bumped in the back of the head by Adam Henrique and then having his mask dislodged. This was just the beginning for Jarry as he was then struck in his unprotected face by a Ryan Strome shot. NHL officials quickly signalled to the Penguins bench and Jarry was rushed off the ice and did not return.

Up to that point, Jarry had been solid for the Penguins making 21 consecutive stops to preserve a 1-0 Penguins lead late into the second period. With Jarry sidelined, the Penguins’ turned to their third-string netminder Magnus Hellberg who made 11 straight saves to maintain the rare two-goalie shutout.

No updates have been given yet on Jarry, but Yohe did report that he was present in the Penguins’ dressing room after the game, which is certainly an encouraging sign. Jarry has struggled to start the year after signing a massive five-year contract extension this summer that was heavily criticized for being too long and too expensive. The Penguins are already without backup goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic until later this month and can ill afford to lose Jarry for any length of time.

In other injury notes:

  • Times Herald Reporter Bill Hoppe is reporting that Buffalo Sabres forward Dylan Cozens is back at practice today sporting a full-face shield as he makes his return to the ice after missing two games with an upper-body injury. No specifics have been given about Cozens injury but given that he is sporting face protection and a large bandage on his nose, it would appear to be an injury to that region. Cozens was engaged in a fight with Philadelphia Flyers forward Garnet Hathaway back on November 3rd, a game the Sabres lost 5-1, and acknowledged that this incident was the cause of the ailment. Cozens has three goals and four assists in 11 games thus far this season.
  • David Alter of The Hockey News is reporting that Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Conor Timmins is unlikely to get back into the lineup for at least a couple of weeks. Alter spoke with Toronto head coach Sheldon Keefe after Timmins practiced with the team this morning, Keefe told the reporter that Timmins will travel with the team to Sweden next week but is unlikely to play. However, the plan is to have him ramp up in practice and he could re-join the lineup after they return from the extended road trip. Timmins has been on LTIR since the beginning of the season after suffering a lower-body injury and has yet to play a game.

Metropolitan Notes: Horvat, Nedeljkovic, Ludvig

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New York Islanders reporter Andrew Gross has tweeted that New York Islanders forward Bo Horvat did not dress for tonight’s game against the Minnesota Wild. It is the first game Horvat has missed as a member of the Islanders since he was acquired via trade from the Vancouver Canucks this past January. The 28-year-old was considered a game-time decision after blocking a shot late in Saturday night’s overtime loss to the Carolina Hurricanes but ultimately did not dress.

Horvat is off to a solid start this season with four goals and five assists in his first 10 games of the season and his absence will create a rather large hole for the Islanders to try and fill. The club has had to deal with multiple injuries to start the season with Adam Pelech, Scott Mayfield and now Horvat all missing some time. Should he miss an extended period, the Islanders will have to do more shuffling of the lines to try and fill the void. The team has started the season well all things considered, at 5-2-3 the Islanders are currently tied for the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference.

In other Metropolitan notes:

  • Josh Yohe of The Athletic reported today that Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan offered an update on injured Penguins goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic. Sullivan told the media that the 27-year-old netminder is back on the ice and is making progress towards a return. Not much is known about Nedeljkovic’s lower-body injury as he was hurt back on October 24th in a 4-1 loss to the Dallas Stars. He was placed on LTIR the very next day meaning that the earliest he can return to the Penguins lineup is on November 19th.
  • Josh Yohe also reported that Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman John Ludvig is also back on the ice skating and is making progress towards a return. Ludvig suffered a concussion on October 24th against the Dallas Stars after laying a hit that resulted in him sustaining the head injury. Mike Sullivan told reporters that the team will see what happens after their road trip meaning that the likeliest the 23-year-old could return is November 11th. Ludvig was acquired off waivers before the season and has dressed in one game thus far this season.

Penguins Make Multiple Roster Moves, Place Alex Nedeljkovic On LTIR

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5:14 p.m.: The Penguins have confirmed the moves and officially recalled Hellberg from the AHL.

4:16 p.m.: Per CapFriendly, the Penguins have immediately transferred Nedeljkovic to LTIR after swapping Zohorna for Andonovski on the NHL roster.

4:15 p.m.: The Pittsburgh Penguins made a trio of roster moves Wednesday, per Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic was placed on injured reserve after sustaining an undisclosed injury in last night’s loss to Dallas, while forward Corey Andonovski was recalled from AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Forward Radim Zohorna was also sent down to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

As CapFriendly notes, the Andonovski/Zohorna swap is likely a precursor to placing Nedeljkovic on long-term injured reserve. Andonovski’s cap hit is slightly higher than Zohorna’s, which gets the Penguins closer to the $83.5MM Upper Limit before placing Nedeljkovic on LTIR and increases their accruable cap space limit. The cap space freed up by Nedeljkovic’s LTIR placement will then be used to recall a goalie from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, likely veteran farmhand Magnus Hellberg. Andonovski is unlikely to remain on the NHL roster, nor is Zohorna’s demotion expected to be permanent.

It’s unclear when exactly Nedeljkovic sustained the injury, which did not warrant him exiting the game. Last night was the goalie’s second appearance of the season and second appearance as a Penguin after joining the team in free agency last summer. He’ll go on the shelf after posting a 1-1-0 record, .914 SV% and 3.01 GAA in the two appearances.

The Penguins have three goalies under NHL contract stashed in the minors, so their recall options are plentiful. Hellberg, 32, carries the most NHL experience with 23 games, 18 of which came last season with the Detroit Red Wings and Ottawa Senators. He did struggle, however, posting a 5-8-1 record and a poor .888 SV% overall, conceding more than seven goals above average. He’s made two appearances thus far with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, splitting them with a 1-1-0 record and a .917 SV%. Their top goalie prospect, 21-year-old Joel Blomqvist, is also a potential recall option with a .929 SV% through two games for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton this season, but the Penguins would likely prefer to give Blomqvist the starter’s net in the minors and more playing time and have Hellberg sit behind starter Tristan Jarry on the NHL roster.

Metropolitan Notes: Williams, Mayfield, Ludvig, Nedeljkovic

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The Hurricanes are inducting longtime winger Justin Williams into their club Hall of Fame this season, per a team announcement. Williams retired as a Hurricane after wrapping up a 19-year, 1,264-game career in 2020 and could be a longshot candidate for induction into the overall Hockey Hall of Fame down the road after winning three Stanley Cup championships.

The first of those three wins came as a Hurricane in 2006, which remains the franchise’s only championship to date. After exploding for a then-career-high 31 goals and 76 points in the regular season, Williams averaged over 21 minutes per game in the playoffs and logged 18 points in 25 games as the Hurricanes defeated the Oilers in the Stanley Cup Final. He would go on to play a major role in the Los Angeles Kings’ two Stanley Cup wins in 2012 and 2014, winning the Conn Smythe Trophy in the latter after scoring 25 points in 26 games and leading the team with a +13 rating. After a later stint with the Capitals, Williams returned to the Hurricanes in 2017 and helped the team’s young core of Sebastian Aho, Andrei Svechnikov and others make the postseason in 2019 after a decade-long drought. His 15 career points in Game 7s are the NHL all-time record, and he’s remained with the Hurricanes post-retirement in an advisory role to GM Don Waddell.

Other tidbits from Metropolitan Division teams today:

  • Islanders defenseman Scott Mayfield is back skating after sustaining a foot injury earlier this month. However, head coach Lane Lambert told Newsday’s Andrew Gross today that he hasn’t joined the team at practice, and there remains no timetable for his return. Mayfield remains on the active roster, although he hasn’t played since logging 16:47, two shots, two hits, and four blocks in the team’s season opener against the Sabres on October 14. 22-year-old Samuel Bolduc has entered the lineup in Mayfield’s stead, although he remains without a point and has a -1 rating in shockingly limited usage, averaging just 8:49 per game. Mayfield, 31, is in the first season of a seven-year, $24.5MM contract extension signed last summer.
  • Penguins defenseman John Ludvig did indeed sustain a concussion in last night’s loss against the Stars and remains out of the lineup indefinitely, head coach Mike Sullivan told the Tribune-Review’s Seth Rorabaugh Wednesday. Ludvig, 23, had played just 5:29 in his NHL debut when he attempted to land an open-ice hit on Stars forward Radek Faksa, whose helmet collided with Ludvig’s jaw and caused him to fall to the ice. Pittsburgh claimed the young defenseman off waivers from the Panthers at the beginning of the season.
  • While he played the whole game, another Penguin sustained an injury yesterday – netminder Alex Nedeljkovic, who could not be a full participant in practice today thanks to an undisclosed injury. A summer free agent addition to serve as the backup to starter Tristan Jarry, Nedeljkovic made 30 saves on 34 shots last night, his first start since an October 14 win against the Flames. Overall, Nedeljkovic has fared well through two contests, posting a .914 SV% and 3.01 GAA after posting the worst numbers of his career last season with the Red Wings.

Detroit Red Wings Recall Alex Nedeljkovic

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The Detroit Red Wings have brought Alex Nedeljkovic back up from the minor leagues, recalling him under emergency conditions today. Ville Husso was absent at practice, meaning Magnus Hellberg is expected to start when the Red Wings take on the St. Louis Blues this evening.

Nedeljkovic, 27, played his way out of the NHL after exploding onto the scene a few years ago, and has been starting for the Grand Rapids Griffins of the AHL for most of this season. The former Carolina Hurricanes prospect was given a two-year, $6MM contract in 2021 after being acquired in a trade that was generally considered a steal for the Red Wings.

Giving up a third-round pick for a starting goaltender looked great initially, but Nedeljkovic would post a .901 save percentage in 59 games with the Red Wings last season, leading to the summer acquisition of Husso. This year, in nine appearances in the NHL, Nedeljkovic has an .880 save percentage.

He cleared waivers, was assigned to the minor leagues, and appears to be headed for unrestricted free agency this summer. Whatever he can do down the stretch for Detroit will only help his case in the offseason, as he looks for another chance to play regularly in the NHL.

Detroit Red Wings Activate Robert Hagg

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With Alex Nedeljkovic clearing waivers today, the Detroit Red Wings were able to clear a roster spot by sending him to the Grand Rapids Griffins. While some expected that spot to go to Filip Zadina, it is a different injured player who will be activated. Robert Hagg is coming off injured reserve to take Nedeljkovic’s spot, after missing more than a month.

Hagg, 27, has played just 13 games this season, with his only appearance in two months coming on December 8. The depth defender was brought in as part of a physical overhaul on the back end, but hasn’t been able to stay healthy or in the lineup so far.

His activation gives the team eight healthy defensemen, meaning someone may end up getting moved out when Zadina is ready. If that’s Hagg, he would require waivers to go to the AHL.

While Steve Yzerman and company have now slid two big names through waivers in Nedeljkovic and Jakub Vrana, it might not be so safe to expose Hagg, even if he has struggled this year. Signed to just $800K, there may be a defense-needy team on the lookout for someone like him. Remember, less than a year ago the Florida Panthers sent a sixth-round pick for Hagg to bring him in at the deadline – and that was when he had a cap hit of $1.6MM.

The Red Wings can likely make a similar move, if they can prove he is healthy enough to contribute. In 313 career games, the big-hitting Hagg has 58 points.

Alex Nedeljkovic, Nicholas Caamano Clear Waivers

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Jan 16: Both have cleared waivers and can now be assigned to the minor leagues.

Jan 15: A pair of players are on the waiver wire today. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that the Detroit Red Wings have waived former rookie sensation Alex Nedeljkovic, while the Dallas Stars have waived forward Nicholas Caamano.

Nedeljkovic’s storybook run in 2020-21 with the Carolina Hurricanes seems like a distant memory now. As a 25-year-old rookie, the 37th overall selection in 2014 led the league with a .932 save percentage and 1.90 goals-against average as Carolina starter Petr Mrazek missed most of the season with an injury.

He was then dealt to Detroit, where while his numbers dropped last season, they were still quite respectable as he neared 60 starts behind a team with many holes. It hasn’t been the same results this year, though, as a .880 save percentage and 2-4-2 record in just eight starts have caused him to slip to third on the team’s goalie depth chart behind Ville Husso and waiver claim Magnus Hellberg.

Nedeljkovic has already spent six games in the minors this season on conditioning stints, but he will now need to clear waivers to continue playing there. Even as a pending unrestricted free agent, his $3MM cap hit is likely prohibitive for any team needing goalie help making a claim. He has strong numbers with the Grand Rapids Griffins, posting a shutout, a .920 save percentage, and 3-2-2 record. An extended stay in the minors could help Nedeljkovic regain confidence long-term.

Regarding Caamano, the 24-year-old has yet to play this season and was just activated from season-opening injured reserve. A 2016 fifth-round pick, Caamano had just 14 points in 47 AHL games last season with the Texas Stars. He was a taxi squad fixture for Dallas during the shortened 2020-21 season, recording an assist in 24 games in the NHL.

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