The Carolina Hurricanes have seemingly solved the first piece of the looming puzzle in the crease.
The Carolina Hurricanes have successfully signed Calder Cup-winning goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic to a 2-year deal.
The 23 year-old netminder will earn $725,000 at the NHL level and $70,000 at the AHL level with a guaranteed salary of $125,000 in a two-way deal during the 2019-20 season, and $750,000 in a one-way deal during the 2020-21 season.
Nedeljkovic earned the Aldege “Baz” Bastien Memorial Award as the AHL’s most outstanding goaltender during the 2018-19 season; Nedeljkovic turned in a 34-9-5 record and notched four shutouts, a 2.26 goals-against average, and a .916 SV% in the regular season. The Parma, Ohio native led the AHL in wins and goals-against average during the 2018-19 season, as well.
Welcome back, @alexned_! pic.twitter.com/xTvdnWAxwB
— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) June 28, 2019
He also registered a 10-4 record in the postseason; 4 of these wins were the series-clinching victories on the road to the Checker’s first Calder Cup in franchise history.
This contract, to me, sounds like a bridge contract. Nedeljkovic retains his RFA (restricted free agent) status upon the completion of this contract, meaning the Hurricanes still have the rights to sign him to an entry-level contract after the 2020-21 season.
This would also effectively protect him from the upcoming Expansion Draft during the 2020-21 offseason, in which the as-yet-unnamed Seattle franchise is set to pick players from each team to build their roster.
The Hurricanes are still actively on the hunt for a starting netminder, but General Manager Don Waddell has said that Nedeljkovic could very well earn a spot on the Hurricanes’ roster this coming season.
Question for CC Readers: What do you guys think about this signing? Would you like to see Nedeljkovic draw into the Hurricanes lineup this season?