Alex Nedeljkovic didn't have to take the news in stride. When the Red Wings traded for Ville Husso this summer, the club's incumbent goalie could have felt slighted. Nedeljkovic could have viewed Husso as a threat to his net, his potential successor. The trade could have served as a warning.
"I thought it was great," Nedeljkovic told the Stoney & Jansen Show as the Red Wings prepare for training camp later this month. "I think you need to have two guys in the league, with where it’s going, to be able to, one, push each other and make each other better. But also, to be able to put a guy in that the team feels confident in every single night is huge. You feel like you can just let those guys in front of you play their game and not worry about who’s in net."
It's not clear if the Red Wings felt that way last season about Thomas Greiss -- or, on some nights, about Nedeljkovic. Greiss endured the worst season of his career, and Nedeljkovic wound up staggering in the second half under a heavier-than-expected workload. His save percentage of .915 over his first 30 games fell to .886 over his final 29. He had a few spectacular nights, and a lot of pedestrian ones. He also finished with more than twice as many starts (52) as the season prior with the Hurricanes when he finished third for Rookie of the Year.
Nedeljkovic needed help. Steve Yzerman and the Red Wings found it in Husso, who had just posted a .919 save percentage in 40 games for the Blues -- tied for sixth in the NHL -- and promptly signed a three-year, $14.75 million deal with his new team. With Nedeljkovic entering the final season of his two-year, $6 million deal, it's not hard to see Husso squeezing him out of the picture as 19-year-old prospect Sebastian Cossa inches closer to Detroit.
That's one way to look at it. Another is this: Nedeljkovic, 26, and Husso, 27, can form one of the stronger goaltending tandems in the NHL as the Red Wings elbow their way back into the playoff picture in the East. Indeed, here was Husso sounding a lot like Nedeljkovic upon his arrival: "These days in hockey, (you need) to have two good goalies on the team."
Husso would know. He spent his first two seasons in the NHL backstopping the Blues to the playoffs with Jordan Binnington. He wants to continue the trend in his third, with his new partner in Detroit. Nedeljkovic said he and Husso, along with new Red Wings goalie coach Alex Westlund, are aiming to "take that next step as a goaltending department."
"So far with Westy, we’ve gotten off on the right foot and same with Ville. We all have that same mindset that we’re here to prove something, to prove that we can be great players in this league, and we’re going to show that I think," said Nedeljkovic.
Nedeljkovic showed it in flashes last season. His four shutouts were the most by a Red Wings rookie in nearly 60 years, including a 46-save gem against his former team in April. He was often at his best when the Wings were at their worst, posting a .932 save percentage and a record of 4-3-3 in games when he faced 40 shots or more.
Under new head coach Derek Lalonde, the aim is to lighten that load, to reduce the number of nights when the Red Wings need their goalie to be their best player.
"Everything I’ve heard from guys that have either played for him or been around the organization with him, he’s a great guy who's going to do a great job of providing us with a really good structure on the ice," Nedeljkovic said of Lalonde. "And I got that same impression when I met him. I’m looking forward to having him behind the bench this year."
Nedeljkovic was never supposed to play in 59 games last season. Greiss' struggles left the Red Wings no choice. Ideally, Nedeljkovic and Husso will split the crease this season and give the team a consistent chance to win. And with an upgraded roster in front of them after Detroit's spending spree this summer, neither one should have to be Superman for the Wings to climb the standings.
Playoffs? We'll see. It's not impossible if 'Hussojkovic' plays up to its potential.
"I think expectations are what they should be here in Detroit. Obviously in Hockeytown, it should be playoffs every single year," Nedeljkovic said. "And honestly, it doesn’t matter if you’re here or in South Florida or in California. If you’re not expecting to make the playoffs every year as a team or at least individually as players, you’re doing yourself a disservice. You’re just wasting years away on your career."
This is year two in Detroit for Nedeljkovic, who would like to stick around. He can make it happen with Husso's help.
Listen live to 97.1 The Ticket via:
Audacy App | Online Stream | Smart Speaker