Burning Questions For the 2025-26 Season: Alex Nedeljkovic

With the 2025-26 season now in sight, the plan is to address the burning questions surrounding every player on the roster (or competing for a roster spot). These questions are focused on how the player is expected to contribute to the Sharks this season and what their role will be.

Alex Nedeljkovic
6'0" 203lbs
29 years old
2014 2nd round pick

Last Season

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL)
1 game, 3.00 GAA, .917 sv%, 0 shutouts

Pittsburgh Penguins
38 games, 3.12 GAA, .894 sv%, 1 shutout

Alex Nedeljkovic began last season in the AHL on a rehab stint, during which he played one game with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. He was quickly recalled, where he started 35 games for the Penguins and appeared in 3 others for a total of 38 games played. While his .894 save percentage is below the league average, Nedeljkovic finished with only a -1 goals saved below expected. The rest of his Penguins teammates finished with a combined -9.4.

This offseason, the San Jose Sharks traded a 2028 third-round pick for the last year of Nedeljkovic's contract. He is projected to be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.

Burning Question

Is it safe to order a Nedeljkovic jersey?

Since June 2023, Mike Grier has traded for the following goalies:
MacKenzie Blackwood (traded to Colorado)
Devin Cooley (signed in Calgary)
Vitek Vanecek (traded to Florida)
Yaroslav Askarov
Alexandar Georgiev (signed in Buffalo)
Alex Nedeljkovic
Carey Price's contract

It has been a rotating cast in the crease with eight different goalies playing since the start of the 2023-24 season. Grier hopes that the carousel stops now. The Sharks brought in Nedeljkovic to be Askarvov's backup and, more importantly, a mentor and partner. If Nedeljkovic performs close to what he did last season on a similarly bad Penguins team (it would be a massive improvement for San Jose), it would be smart for Grier to try to extend Nedeljkovic.

Askarov is in his first year of a two-year, $2 million AAV contract, so he's locked in for a bit. Even if the Sharks re-up Nedeljkovic at two years, $2.5 million AAV, the market for that type of contract for a player of Nedeljkovic's talent/age.

If it doesn't work out for Nedeljkovic in San Jose, goalies of his caliber are easily acquirable either via trade or free agency, and the Sharks could be back on the carousel.

Expecations

Nedeljkovic will be an interesting case study on how Grier feels about his team. Although he won't be a hot commodity at the trade deadline, teams are always looking to upgrade their goaltending, and Nedeljkovic is on a very favorable contract. If the Sharks are competitive on a nightly basis and the Asky/Ned tandem is working, does Grier change things up?

Grier has stated that he wants to build this season, and the best way for the Sharks to do so would be to keep the same tandem intact for more than three months. Thomas Speer would probably appreciate it as well.