From Prove-It to Prove 'Em Wrong

When Alex Nedeljkovic arrived in Pittsburgh last fall after a couple of bumpy seasons in Detroit following a stellar rookie campaign with Carolina, he was entering a “prove-it season” on a one-year deal. Not just for himself, but for others as well, that he could be an NHL-quality goaltender.

Nedeljkovic came in and “competed his butt off,” as Kyle Dubas put it - seizing the opportunity that came down the stretch when Tristan Jarry got ill and ran with it. He started the final 13 games, posting an 8-1-3 record as the Penguins battled for a playoff spot, buoyed by the affable netminder’s contagious confidence.

Pittsburgh’s President of Hockey Operations and GM said it was nice to see Nedeljkovic rewarded—with the trust of his coaching staff, the respect of his teammates, and most recently, a new contract.

Nedeljkovic had been vocal about wanting to return, and both sides agreed to terms they were comfortable with. The 28-year-old signed for two more years with an average annual value of $2.5 million.

“I enjoyed playing with this group of guys that we had,” Nedeljkovic said. “The majority of them were coming back, and we were going to have a pretty similar roster. Same thing with the coaching staff. For the most part, it’s pretty similar. I thought we had a good run at the end there. I think if we're a little bit more consistent throughout the year, then there's no doubt in my mind that we can be a playoff team and surprise a lot of people that maybe counted us out.

“So, the conversations weren't anything crazy or different than what you've already heard or been told from myself or Kyle or anybody.”

Overall, Nedeljkovic appeared in 38 games, posting an 18-7-7 record with a 2.97 goals-against average, a .902 save percentage, and one shutout. He became just the 11th goaltender in Penguins history to record a point streak of 10-plus games.

Now that he’s had some time to reflect on that run, Nedeljkovic said he didn’t necessarily learn anything new.

“If anything, it was just reinforcing all the things that I do well and what's made me successful, and finding ways to fine-tune those things and amplify them and become better at them,” he said. “Also, improving on things that aren't strengths, improving some weaknesses.

“So, it was just a good year overall, and it was a good feeling personally. But obviously, you know, doesn't really matter much when as a team, you fall short of your goals.”

Knowing that the team can’t rely on one good stretch of games to get them into the postseason – “it's got to be a full season-long thing and a full 82 games worth” – Nedeljkovic has been working hard this offseason to make sure he does his part.

“Just getting back into hockey shape and fine-tuning some things, fine-tuning the technical side of the game, and hitting that reset button mentally,” Nedeljkovic said. “Trying to come in with a fresh mind, a clear mindset and positive frame of mind. So yeah, nothing really new from that side of it. I just try to do my job when we get in here, have fun and stop pucks and give the guys a chance to win every night.”

There should be plenty of competition between the pipes, with Dubas saying the message to Nedeljkovic when he re-signed was that nothing will be given to anybody. But it’s a healthy one, as Nedeljkovic has enjoyed his time playing alongside Jarry.

“He was one of the first ones to text me when I had re-signed, and said congrats and welcome back, and looking forward to getting back at it together,” Nedeljkovic said. “I was saying the same things that I've said before, that's part of the reason why I wanted to come back. I wanted to work with him.”

Nedeljkovic feels that they help push each other, and hopes they can be even better this year, putting the team on their backs when needed.

“It's a long season, and we're going to have some ups and downs. If the two of us can be consistent and give us a chance to win every night, I think it'll go a long way.”

So will the comfortability that Nedeljkovic - who’s from Parma, a suburb of Cleveland, and now lives in the Metro Detroit area after moving there to play hockey - feels in the city of Pittsburgh.

“Feel like they're very similar cities, very Midwestern lifestyle, blue-collar towns. It just, I don't know, feels like home,” he said. “It's comfortable and the people in the locker room, the people in the rink, they're all great people and it's a great organization. It's very easy to feel welcomed here, which I think goes a long way in allowing you to play with the free mind and not worry about who's watching or what somebody is thinking or who's in front of you.

“It's just, you can be yourself.”