3. Nedeljkovic Gets the Start
With the triumphant return of Petr Mrazek, most of us were left wondering how the goalie situation would shake out.
Would Petr still be the starter? Would his backup be Alex Nedeljkovic or James Reimer? Will one of the backups get traded?
Well, we still don’t quite have the answers to all of those questions. What we do know is that Ned is starting tonight, and Rod Brind’amour has been very adamant that the Carolina Hurricanes have three goaltenders.
If you had any questions about the depth chart, tonight’s decision to start Ned with Petr backing him up should answer those for you.
Reimer is by no means a bad goaltender, but the winning strategy when it comes to shaping up roster spots at the goaltending position is to ride the hot hand.
While Reimer sports an impressive win/loss record, his stats, both advanced and simplified, are nowhere near his colleagues. Ned and Petr are clearly the right choice, and Reimer will likely remain with the team as a depth option going forward and into the postseason.