NHL Analyst Urges Penguins to Trade Goaltender Ahead of the Deadline
Photo credit: TribLive
An NHL analyst believes that the Penguins absolutely must trade their goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic by the deadline this season and get a good return.
The Pittsburgh Penguins dropped their fourth straight Tuesday evening when they were thumped 6-1 by the Philadelphia Flyers.
With each defeat, playoff expectations slip that little bit further beyond reach. In their last three games, they have been outscored 19-7, with both sides struggling.
Goaltending remains the largest issue. Alex Nedeljkovic has allowed 11 goals over two games since the break, and rookie Joel Blomqvist has allowed seven in relief outings.
Tristan Jarry was previously waived by the Penguins
Tristan Jarry had to be sent down to the AHL for a conditioning stint before being waived last month. Nedeljkovic played well coming into the 4 Nations break but has been inconsistent for the most part with a .893 save percentage.
Blomqvist, at the young age of 23, is the Penguins' future despite his recent struggles in net. Filip Larsson, 26, has been phenomenal in the AHL at .922, and 20-year-old Sergei Murashov has dominated the ECHL (.926) and AHL (.934).
Those young goalies trail behind underperforming veterans. Jarry's deal has him signed and tough to trade, but the Penguins must trade Nedeljkovic before the deadline, per NHL analyst Kelsey Surmacz.
His exposure keeps Larsson and Blomqvist out of the way at the NHL level, and Murashov must return to the ECHL because of an AHL clog.
If Pittsburgh wants to clear out space for their next generation of goalies in the works, they are going to have to create some space. Trading Nedeljkovic is step one.
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