Former Hurricanes goalie Alex Nedeljkovic says trade to Red Wings came ‘out of nowhere’
Alex Nedeljkovic said he was playing golf when he first got the news he was no longer a goaltender for the Carolina Hurricanes.
Nedeljkovic was told he was being traded to the Detroit Red Wings. Soon after the deal was announced Thursday, agent Rich Evans tweeted that Nedeljkovic would receive a two-year contract worth $6 million from the Wings.
“I was a little surprised at the move,” Nedeljkovic said Friday on a media call. “Honestly it was kind of out of the blue. The trade itself was really like out of nowhere.”
The Canes and Red Wings swapped goalies. Nedeljkovic went to the Wings and the Canes received the rights to veteran goalie Jonathan Bernier, a pending unrestricted free agent. The Wings also gave the Canes a 2021 third-round draft pick.
The trade caught many Canes fans off-guard, and social media soon was aflame about the guy everyone called “Ned,” a Calder Trophy finalist this past season as NHL rookie of the year.
But from what Nedeljkovic said Friday, it had become apparent he wasn’t going to be able to hammer out a new contract with the Hurricanes.
“Where they were and we were, it just wasn’t on the same page,” he said. “It’s a business as much as it is a game and we have to do what’s best for us sometimes, and the team has to do what’s best for them. We just couldn’t come to an agreement.”
A sticking point was that Nedeljkovic was a restricted free agent with arbitration rights. In salary arbitration, the Parma, Ohio, native might have been rewarded more than $3 million.
The Canes could point to the fact that Nedeljkovic, as a rookie, played just 23 games last season. While he had impressive numbers — 15-5-3 record, 1.90 goals-against average and .932 save percentage — it was a small sample size.
The Nedeljkovic camp could counter that he was a Calder finalist, made the NHL’s All-Rookie team and helped the Canes win the Central Division. When the Canes needed him most, with goalie Petr Mrazek injured, Nedeljkovic stepped in and delivered.
When the Canes reached the Stanley Cup playoffs for a third straight season, Nedeljkovic was their No. 1 goalie. He was in net for nine of the playoff games, going 4-5 with a 2.17 GAA and .920 save percentage.
“Obviously you need the opportunity in order to succeed and I got the opportunity, so getting the opportunity there was obviously a key,” Nedeljkovic said. “But it was just playing my game and believing in myself. I always thought that way and believed I could play in this league and be an elite goalie.
“I just needed the opportunity. I always believed that I could do it and play and have success. Playing in tough situations and tough environments just reinforced that thought and that confidence I had in myself.”
The Red Wings, in a rebuild under general manager Steve Yzerman, won just 19 games last season and finished seventh in the Central. But they were a thorn in the Canes’ side, winning four of the eight games.
Going to Detroit is almost like a homecoming for Nedeljkovic. He played junior hockey in the Detroit area, including parts of three seasons with the Plymouth Whalers of the OHL.
Nedeljkovic, 25, has been living in the Detroit area in the offseason for about 10 years. His wife, Emma, is in nursing school at Michigan State, he said.
At the same time, he’s leaving an organization that drafted him in the second round in 2014. He was a big part of the Charlotte Checkers winning a Calder Cup in 2019 when the Checkers were the Canes’ AHL affiliate.
“Just being in the organization it really started to feel like home,” he said. “We loved being down there. But as much as it is a game and you play it and try to have fun and enjoy it, it is a business, too. GMs and owners have to do what’s best for the team.”
This story was originally published July 23, 2021 at 1:45 PM.
