Alex Nedeljkovic's time with the Pittsburgh Penguins may be coming to an end
Dan Kingerski of Pittsburgh Hockey Now: The Pittsburgh Penguins have shut down AHL goaltender Joel Blomqvist during his playing career, and that will go a long way in determining whether they feel he is ready to make the jump next season. Tristan Jarry has four more years on his contract and Alex Nedeljkovic is a UFA.
GM Kyle Dubas end of season press conference.
“He's an unrestricted free agent. He talked a lot about his ideas (he wants to come back). As I told him yesterday, we have a situation where we have a young goalkeeper who is also pushing, Joel Bloomqvist,” said Dubas. “We're going to use this stretch for the next few weeks, the last two games with (Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins) … and then (most importantly), the playoffs with Wilkes. How does Joel play? Can he speak for himself at that level? Then we will have more information on how we want to continue scoring goals.”
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Even if the Penguins decide Blomqvist isn't ready for next season, they may not want to give Nedeljkovic a multi-year contract since Blomqvist could be ready next year. Nedeljkovic may be able to get more time on the open market.
There are no official discussions between the Penguins and Sidney Crosby's agent
Rob Rossi of The Athletic: There are no official contract extension talks between Sidney Crosby's agent Pat Brisson and Pittsburgh Penguins GM Kyle Dubas. Both sides would like to see a deal done. He is eligible for a contract extension after July 1, and they are expected to reach an agreement soon.
It is not known how long Crosby wants to play, but it is expected that his extension will last more than one season. The Penguins are believed to want him signed until retirement but are willing to stay short-term, according to team sources.
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Elliotte Friedman thought it could be a two- or three-year extension at $10.5 million per season. A short-term contract would give Crosby more flexibility in how long he wants to play. Any deal is a 35+ deal so if he retires before the end of the contract, the cap hit stays on the books.
