Update on Alex Nedeljkovic and the Penguins

Don’t be prepared to get blown away but there was a brief nugget about the Penguins from Dave Pagnotta today.

During his end-of-season remarks, Pittsburgh GM Kyle Dubas seemed to suggest Joel Blomqvist would be inserted as one of the team’s goaltenders next season. I’m told those comments were taken out of context and the Penguins have not closed the door on netminder Alex Nedeljkovic, who can become a UFA July 1. The team continues to have an open dialogue with his agent Rich Evans about a possible return.

It’s for the best that the Penguins seemingly aren’t planning to go into next season with a 22-year old that has zero NHL games under his belt as the organization’s second goalie. Goalie development is rarely a smooth, steady upward line, even though Joel Blomqvist was very consistent and impressive in his first season in the AHL last year.

Nedeljkovic played inspiring hockey down the stretch for Pittsburgh, but beneath the surface most of the numbers and stats on his season aren’t exactly impressive . That makes for a buyer beware situation for the Penguins, who in a perfect world would like to keep Nedljkovic on a short-term deal but that may or may not prove to be the best option for the netminder as he approaches free agency.

In another topic, the Pens’ weren’t listed in Pagnotta’s main topic about Winnipeg forward Nikolaj Ehlers. That’s a shame and enough to make one wish for the days where Pittsburgh would be at least mentioned about a potential landing spot for a high-powered winger.

According to a well-placed source close to the Jets, Ehlers is not interested in signing a contract extension with the club and that is primarily why Winnipeg GM Kevin Cheveldayoff is exploring his options via the trade market.

...

Teams like the New York Islanders, Nashville Predators, Boston Bruins, Seattle Kraken, New Jersey Devils, Vancouver Canucks, Carolina Hurricanes, Chicago Blackhawks, Ottawa Senators and Columbus Blue Jackets are among the teams looking to add a top-six winger and Ehlers is an attractive option.

Ehlers is coming off a 61-point season, despite averaging 15:52 per game. It’s no wonder he reportedly doesn’t want to re-sign with Winnipeg, he puts up big numbers but has never been rewarded with more than 15-16 minutes of ice time each night almost every year. It’s reminiscent of an early days Marcus Pettersson situation where just about everyone except the head coach can see that this is a player who could thrive in an even bigger role.

Alas, at this point in the franchise’s cycle, the Pens don’t make for much of a fitting candidate to pick up Ehlers, who will be a free agent in 2025 and looking to cash in. Winnipeg also is looking for NHL-caliber talent and goal scoring that can help now and the Pens don’t have much of that to offer back anyways. Reilly Smith (who presumably could block WIN with his limited no trade clause in the first place) probably isn’t moving the needle for them too much.

The pieces don’t quite lineup, but the Ehlers situation will be worth monitoring to see if a division rival swoops in and grabs him. But if Kyle Dubas really wanted to act boldly and add more skill to the team, he could do a lot worse than Ehlers.