This will be quite short, but you know damn well I’ll milk it for the (nonexistent) pageviews. Neither pick sparks controversy, but feel free to read my analysis on the skill and positivity of this goaltending unit.
Starter: Alex Nedeljkovic
What an incredible player for a third-round pick. He placed third in Calder voting and looked like Carolina’s goaltender of the future. Oh how the turn tables.
Nedeljkovic will get plenty of starts, and it’s not hard to see why. He sees the puck well and positions himself to take away second-hand opportunities from rebounds. He’s not perfect, but considering Jimmy Howard was a viable option to start just two years ago, we’re entering uncharted territory in post-Streak history.
That youth seems especially important considering how Jan Bednar and Sebastien Cossa looked in the Prospect Camp. Neither will be ready for a jump to the NHL level anytime soon, and frankly, they shouldn’t be expected to. The point of drafting good prospects is to develop them, not throw them to the wolves. Nedeljkovic can be the stopgap, a goalie of the future until the goalies of the future future are ready (if that seems like a mouthful, know that I reread it around six times because my brain went brrrr).
I like Nedljkovic as a goalie (He’s an elite netminder like three seasons into NHL Legacy Edition GM Mode), and I can’t wait to see him on the ice. He’s going to get lit up behind UM’s defense, but that’s to be expected. If he can come a few wins shy of .500, I’ll be so happy I’ll buy his jersey.
Backup: Thomas Greiss
Just like countless hired guns before him, Greiss got Cheveldaed last season. Wings fans questioned his abilities after a shaky start. He rebounded well, drawing backpedaling from the holiest of all Wings sites. He surely benefitted from Barry Trotz’s system, but he also had one hell of a season in that first Isles conference final run.
Greiss was signed as a worthy tandem/backup goalie, and he delivered that on a Red Wings team where Jon Merrill and Patrik Nemeth played some of the best defensive minutes. No disrespect to them (especially Merrill, whose WJC medal I have held), but that D-corps didn’t give Greiss much to work with.
This season, Greiss likely won’t go on a tear and snatch the starter spot unless something goes terribly wrong. He’s a good backup option for a rebuilding team, but in all honesty, I hope he loses a few extra games. Only then can Detroit get hosed yet again in the draft lottery. It’s the gift that keeps on giving.
Big Tex Goes to College 