Can Alex Nedeljkovic Be the Red Wings Franchise Goalie?

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.

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.