New Penguins backup goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic seeks a fresh start

Growing up in Parma, Ohio, a southern suburb of Cleveland, Alex Nedeljkovic was situated roughly two hours away from NHL hockey.

In two directions.

The Columbus Blue Jackets were a straight shot to the southwest down Interstate 71.

And to the southeast were the Pittsburgh Penguins via some combination of Interstate 80, the Ohio and Pennsylvania Turnpikes and the Parkway West.

Which direction did his loyalties sway?

“I grew up watching both,” said Nedeljkovic, a goaltender who joined the Penguins via free agency July 1. “I was probably more of a Blue Jackets fan. We were more of a Blue Jackets household, I think. But I like that retro Penguins logo from the (1990s). That’s my favorite logo in sports. I came to a couple of games at Mellon Arena.”

Nedeljkovic (pronounced nuh-DEHL-koh-vihch) got to wear the Penguins’ current logo for the first time in a game Sunday as he stopped all 18 shots he faced in 29 minutes, 58 seconds of ice time during a preseason-opening 3-2 shootout win against those once-beloved Blue Jackets at PPG Paints Arena.

By design, the Penguins started Nedeljkovic then pulled him midway through the contest to allow prospect Joel Blomqvist to gain some playing time. Blomqvist recorded the victory after making 14 saves on 16 shots and stopping both shootout attempts he faced.

The Penguins signed the 27-year-old Nedeljkovic this offseason with designs on him serving as the team’s new backup goaltender, replacing the jettisoned Casey DeSmith.

Management is banking on Nedeljkovic finding a way to shake off two unappetizing seasons with the Detroit Red Wings and regaining the form that allowed him to be selected to the NHL All-Rookie team in 2020-21 as a member of the Carolina Hurricanes.

“(Nedeljkovic is) a guy that brings real good energy to the rink every day,” coach Mike Sullivan said. “He’s shown an ability to have success in this league, and we think he’s very capable. He’s going to be a great fit for us. Sometimes, a change of scenery for a player makes all the difference in the world in giving certain players opportunities to kind of hit the reset button in just trying to establish their game again. We’re going to do our best to help (Nedeljkovic) do that. ”

A second-round pick (No. 37 overall) in 2014 by the Hurricanes, Nedeljkovic broke through as a full-time NHLer during the pandemic-shortened 2020-21 campaign, helping Carolina win the Central Division and reach the second round of the postseason. In 23 games that season, Nedeljkovic had a 15-5-3 record, a 1.90 goals-against average, a .932 save percentage and three shutouts. Those figures aided him in finishing third in voting for the Calder Memorial Trophy, which recognizes the league’s top rookie.

That success also led to a change in zip codes. A restricted free agent during the ensuing offseason, Nedeljkovic and the Hurricanes had an impasse in contract negotiations, and his signing rights were dealt to the Detroit Red Wings, with whom he signed a two-year contract that carried a salary cap hit of $3 million.

What followed were a pair of difficult seasons in the Motor City, particularly the 2022-23 campaign when Nedeljkovic was waived this past January (going unclaimed) and he played more games with the Red Wings’ American Hockey League affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins (26), than the NHL club (15).

After posting a 5-7-2 mark with a 3.53 GAA and an .895 save percentage at the NHL level last season, Nedeljkovic was allowed to walk as an unrestricted free agent by the Red Wings.

“I wasn’t in my own way,” said Nedeljkovic, listed at 6-foot and 208 pounds. “Those years in Carolina, I wasn’t (overthinking). I wasn’t overreacting. I was just playing my game, doing my thing and staying on pucks and staying loose. As opposed to the last couple of years, maybe just overthinking plays, overthinking situations and just trying too hard to stop the puck instead of just letting it come to me.”

The Penguins came to Nedeljkovic on July 1 with a one-year contract worth $1.5 million, and all parties concerned are eager for a return to form from his days with the Hurricanes.

“It’s a new start. It’s a fresh start,” Nedeljkovic said. “A new page. … Once you get on the ice, all you’re doing is trying to stop pucks and show guys that you can stop pucks so they don’t have to worry about it. It just gives you a little bit more freedom in your own head to just be you.

”I had a little bit of a small taste of playoff hockey my first season with Carolina and what it’s like to play in that atmosphere and that environment. Obviously, I think (the Penguins) are going to be hungry to get back to the top. I’m hoping that I can be a part of that and get to the top myself.”

Notes: Forwards Alex Nylander and Brayden Yager, the team’s first-round pick (No. 14 overall) scored goals in the shootout during a 3-2 victory, the first of a set of split-squad games between the clubs Sunday. Nylander and Penguins defenseman P.O Joseph scored in regulation. … Penguins defenseman Mark Friedman left the contest at 13:03 of the third period after being struck in the face by a puck. According to assistant coach Mike Vellucci, Friedman received stitches and is expected to be fine. … In the second contest at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, the Penguins got goals from forwards Jonathan Gruden, Sam Poulin and Austin Wagner in a 4-3 overtime loss. Goaltender Taylor Gauthier recorded the loss after making 16 saves on 17 shots.