Pittsburgh Penguins Activate Alex Nedeljkovic and Assign Him on Conditioning Loan

Alex Nedeljkovic has been placed on a conditioning loan at AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Now that he will be counted against the 23-man roster limit, there is no need for a corresponding trade because Pittsburgh had an open spot after sending Rutger McGroarty to the minors yesterday.

Since suffering an injury on September 30 during an exhibition match against the Red Wings, Nedeljkovic has not played at all this season. A few days later, when the Penguins revealed their opening night roster, he was placed on injured reserve and listed as week-to-week. It is now evident that he would not have been out long enough to land on LTIR, even though he did end up missing well over the seven days needed for an IR placement.

The 28-year-old can spend up to 14 days in the AHL during his conditioning period, but after that, he should contend for a starting or 1A spot in Pittsburgh.

During the final stretch of the previous season, he ended up with an 18-7-7 record and .902 SV% in 38 games. That's still a better option than what the more seasoned Tristan Jarry gave them to begin the season, even with those pedestrian numbers. Jarry also had a rough season last year, finishing with a mediocre .903 SV%. This October, he has a .833 SV% and 5.47 GAA in three starts.

As he recovers from his lower-body injury, Nedeljkovic is expected to start for the WBS Penguins against AHJL Lehigh Valley on Friday or Saturday (possibly both). Now that Tristan Jarry is having trouble, Pittsburgh is probably going to bring Nedeljkovic back into the lineup and possibly start him during a forthcoming four-game road trip to Western Canada. Joel Blomqvist, the team's top goalie to start the season, will probably be sent to the minor leagues in a corresponding move once Nedeljkovic is cleared.