Can Alex Nedeljkovic Be the Red Wings Franchise Goalie?

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The Detroit Red Wings have had so many ups and downs, and twists and turns this season that it’s been hard to really determine if this season was a success or not. I mean, obviously it wasn’t a success because they didn’t make the playoffs, but on the other hand, they showed so many signs of becoming the team we all love and remember.

With star players growing in the juniors, college, and in the AHL, the Red Wings are in a terrific spot to grow off of. But, there is one question that need’s to be asked before the off-season: What is Alex Nedeljkovic’s role in this league? What is his role with the organization?

Alex Nedeljkovic was originally drafted by the Carolina Hurricanes back in 2014 in the second-round. In which there were hopes of him becoming a franchise goalie as they would soon look to compete for the Stanley cup. However, he never quite found his footing there.

Up until last season, Nedeljkovic spent most of his time in the AHL with the Charlotte Checkers. He did see some opportunites with the Hurricanes, but it just never really worked out. He wasn’t the player they expected him to be and therefore, they felt that he wasn’t their guy. Which, led to the Red Wings acquiring him. However, they did so at his highest point.

Similar to what Jeremy Swayman did this year, Nedeljkovic really showed up last season and was a finalist for the Calder trophy. Now, he didn’t win because no one was going to beat Kirill Kaprizov, but he really did well last season.

Appearing in 23 games for the Hurricanes last season, he posted a record of 15-5-3, posted a 1.90 goals allowed against average, and to top it all of, he finished last season with a .932 save percentage.

After the Hurricanes announced that they were going to shop him, the Red Wings jumped on the opportunity and traded away goalie, Jonathan Bernier and a third-round pick. But, now it’s time to take a look at his stats this season and see if he was worth it?

Alex Nedeljkovic of the Detroit Red Wings. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-USA TODAY Sports /

Can Alex Nedeljkovic be the Red Wings Franchise Goalie?

As I stated on the previous slide, Alex Nedeljkovic has had a lot of struggles this season. From making terrific saves to keep the Red Wings in the game, or being the reason why there were down 5-0, it’s been hard to really figure out who he is as a goalie and where he goes from here.

I mean, it’s really hard to say that his performances this season that have been bad are all on him, because well let’s face it, the defense is not great. I mean, Seider is phenomonal and Hronek is still a very good player, but when you look at the big picture, they don’t really have a defense that can lock down an offensive team.

At the same point, you can think back to the time that he scored on himself and well, that was nobody’s fault but his. I mean, that was definetly the worst goal I’ve seen this season… that was hard to watch. It’s just really hard to figure out where the organization want’s to go from here with him. After all, the Red Wings do have Sebastian Cossa coming who has some very high expectations.

So, getting back to talking about Nedeljkovic, I took the liberty of looking at his splits and here is what I was able to gather from it:

By Month

October: 5 games played, 3.27 GAA, .900 SV%

Novemeber: 10 games played, 2.24 GAA, .934 SV%

Decemeber: 6 games played, 3.30 GAA, .899 SV%

Janurary: 12 games played, 3.10 GAA, .899 SV%

February: 4 games played, 5.27 GAA, .845 SV%

March: 13 games played, 3.78 GAA, .891 SV%

April: 3 games played, 3.96 GAA, .895 SV%

Road vs Home

Road: 24 games played, 3.14 GAA, .907 SV%

Away: 29 games played, 3.48 GAA, .895 SV%

Pre All-Star Break vs Post All-Star Break

Pre All-Star Break: 34 games played, 2.90 GAA, .911 SV%

Post All-Star Break: 19 games played, 4.15 GAA, .880 SV%

Alex Nedeljkovic making a great pad save. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images) /

Breaking Down Alex Nedeljkovic’s Season With the Red Wings

Alex Nedeljkovic has had a very, what’s the word- streaky, season so far. He’s just been very inconsistent- or has he?

When you take a look at the stats I had written above, it looks pretty consistent but not in the way that we want. He sat right around a 3.30 GAA, and a .900 save percentage which isn’t great. However, when you take a look at his splits from prior to the all-star break, and then after, it’s almost like he’s a completley different player.

Prior to the all-star break, Alex Nedeljkovic had played in 34 games for the Red Wings. During that stretch, he was able to post a .911 save percentage while only having a 2.90 goals against allowed average. Which, all things considered- that’s pretty respectable in my opinion.

But in contrast to that, you look at his post all-star break stats, and they are not nearly as good.

After returning from the all-star break, Nedeljkovic clearly got worse and hasn’t really bounced back other than maybe a couple games. But there is no excuse for having a 4.15 GAA, and a .880 SV% in 19 games. That’s just not acceptable. Especially when you are looking to leave your mark in this league and with this team.

What makes it even worse is the fact that he showed that he struggles in the second-half of a season, but that’s when every game matters. You can start 30-0-0, but if you end with a 35-38-9, then you are putting yourself in a really tough spot and it’s hard to make an argument to let you handle the reigns at that point in time.

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So, in conclusion, No. Alex Nedeljkovic doesn’t deserve to have a shot for the Red Wings franchise goalie spot. He just hasn’t proven that he can be the guy this team can depend on and that is something that need’s to be accounted for.

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