Penguins goaltender out week-to-week with lower-body injury

The Penguins announced that goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic is listed as week-to-week with a lower-body injury, with Wes Crosby of NHL.com among those to relay the news. The news puts the netminder’s availability for their season opener against the Rangers on Oct. 9 in serious doubt.

Nedeljkovic departed his start on Monday midway through the first period. In the likely scenario that he’s not ready to go by the time the opening-night roster is due, expect him to start the year on the non-roster list with 22-year-old Joel Blomqvist, the organization’s top goaltending prospect, backing up Tristan Jarry in his stead.

It’s tough news to swallow for the Penguins, who kept Nedeljkovic off this offseason’s UFA market with a two-year, $5M extension. He stole the crease from Jarry down the stretch last season as Pittsburgh tried but failed to avoid missing the postseason for the second year in a row.

Nedeljkovic, 28, put up perfectly average numbers in a 1B role behind Jarry last year. The former Hurricanes second-rounder made 38 appearances, the second-highest mark of his career, and posted an 18-7-7 record with a .902 SV% and a 2.97 GAA with one shutout.

In the meantime, there are certainly worse fallback options than Jarry and Blomqvist. Jarry is entering his fifth season as the Pens starter, and while his .903 SV% last year was certainly underwhelming, he’s long been an above-average starter and has finished in the top 10 in Vezina Trophy voting twice. Blomqvist was likely due for some NHL looks this season anyway after shutting the door with a .921 SV% and 2.16 in 45 games for AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in 2023-24, earning himself a spot on the league’s All-Rookie Team.

The Pens also announced a bevy of other minor injury updates. Chief among them is defenseman Erik Karlsson, who skated again Wednesday as he attempts to heal from an upper-body injury before the season opener. The three-time Norris winner has yet to be a full participant in camp but is still listed as day-to-day. 

They also said that potential fourth-line piece Blake Lizotte is out with a concussion and has no timeline yet for a return. Forward Vasiliy Ponomarev is also day-to-day with an upper-body injury but will likely be ready for the beginning of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s season.