Re-signing goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic doesn’t make any sense for the Penguins. Unless they trade starter Tristan Jarry.
Nedeljkovic is priced reasonably at $5 million over two years. (I thought he could get more elsewhere). He is a solid journeyman level goalie.
But retaining 28-year-old Nedeljkovic forms a crowd at the goalkeeper position. Blocks Joel Blomqvist’s promotion to the NHL.
Blomqvist, 22, is one of the few true prospects in the Penguins’ system. Blomqvist had a 2.16 goals-against average and a .921 save percentage for the franchise’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton farm team last season. He is legit.
Blomqvist may or may not be ready for the NHL. But it would be worth the risk to promote it. He maybe he can succeed immediately like Matt Murray. That happens sometimes. Blomqvist has an initial contract with a cap hit of $886,667.
If Blomqvist and Nedeljkovic were the Penguins’ goaltending duo, they would be competent and cheap. Create room to spend elsewhere.
So the Penguins have to trade Jarry. That is the only way to maintain Nedeljkovic’s calculations. Like Donnie Iris.
Bringing Nedeljkovic back up is likely a sign that president of hockey operations and general manager Kyle Dubas feels he can trade Jarry.
It will not be easy. Goalie has become a largely generic position in the NHL. Jarry has a $5.375 million cap hit through 2028. That’s way, way too long. There will not be great demand.
The Penguins extended Jarry last July because he was the devil they knew. And that’s exactly why they shouldn’t have done it.
Jarry was the same as always, the same as always last season: he seemed carefree, especially when Nedeljkovic took the number one spot from him down the stretch. The Penguins didn’t like his reaction (or lack thereof) to that.
Jarry, 29, is not up to the big moments. He is prone to making devastating mistakes, such as his turnover in the second overtime period that lost him a playoff game against the New York Islanders in 2021. He has been with the Penguins eight years and never won a playoff series. He oozes inconsistency.
His stats last season weren’t great: 19-25-5 record, 2.91 goals against, .903 save percentage. His career numbers are fine. Fairly good.
But whatever Jarry never had, he still doesn’t have it.
It’s not about what Dubas can get for Jarry. It’s about getting rid of his cap hit without absorbing too much in return. Jarry and Nedeljkovic with a combined cap hit of $8,775 isn’t enough quality at a cap-damaging price.
Los Angeles might have been interested, but Dubas probably didn’t want to accept center Pierre-Luc Dubois’ contract (eight years, $68 million) or his attitude (terrible). So Dubois went to Washington to find goalie Darcy Kuemper.
The penguins need to change. They have been obsolete for years.
Leaving Jarry won’t fix that. But it won’t hurt. Giving Blomqvist a chance makes sense.
The locker room trusts Nedeljkovic.
He started the final 13 games of the season as the Penguins went 8-2-3 to nearly make the playoffs.
Nedeljkovic wasn’t always brilliant during that stretch, but he visibly struggled. Jarry often doesn’t do it visibly.
Sullivan continued to turn to Nedeljkovic during that career, starting him on consecutive nights for the New York Rangers and New Jersey on April 1-2. That told a story. Has Sullivan lost faith in Jarry?
Nedeljkovic finished the year 18-7-7 with a 2.97 goals-against average and a .906 save percentage. Mostly comparable to Jarry’s stats, but at a lower price and with a better track record.
Trading Jarry would absolutely be the right decision, and that’s regardless of what he brings in return.
It’s time for the penguins to finally turn some pages. Like Bob Seger.
Keynote USA
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