A SERIOUS DISCUSSION: Alex Nedeljkovic

[VibesAlive]

I really think Ned can be as good as the Borg let's him be. I like the guys style, and I'm likely already biased, so I'd be disappointed if hope he's not given a legit shot going forward.

 

[Daeavorn]

I think it will be criminal if we dont give him a shot to start. I think he could end up being our best goalie this year.

 

[Tryamw]

Reasons to keep other than on ice performance:

Ned for eloquent and erudite interviews.

Mrazek so we don't lose @MrazeksVengeance to another board.

We could always shanghai him back

 

[Chrispy]

I think it will be criminal if we dont give him a shot to start. I think he could end up being our best goalie this year.

I don't think Rod or the Borg are moving away from a platoon goalie setup anytime soon.

So while he might not be the "starter" Ned has clearly earned a split of the net with someone next year.

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

I remember a while back somebody posted an article/interview about Eddie Lack and how his style of play was a bad match for Carolina, so they were wondering why the Canes went after him. I don't recall all the details of the article, but the essence of it was that the Canes wanted goalies to be more aggressive and Lack was better at playing deeper in the net and using his size and hands. Playing deeper gave him more time to read/react and when the Canes tried to change his style, it was a disaster.

Conversely, with how the Canes are constructed today, I think Ned's style of play is a very good fit. The Canes can be a bit chaotic when hemmed in their own zone, and the aggressive D gives up more high danger chances. Ned's athletic ability covers up for some of that (as does Mrazeks). Also, the Canes like to get the puck moving in transition as quickly as possible and Ned's puck handling ability is a benefit in that regard as well.

In the end, the goalie has to stop the puck and Ned has been doing that this year. If he can continue to do so, his athleticism and puck handling could be a big benefit to the Canes and how they play.

 

[LostInaLostWorld]

When I look at Ned when he 'scrambles' in the net it seems he has it under control and with a purpose in mind unlike many, including Reimer, who scramble because they are out of position, don't know where the puck is, etc. It's like he's got everything under control even emotions. Plays older/more mature than expected given his brief NHL experience.

 

[chaz4hockey]

How many games does NED need for RFA status, four?

 

[Chrispy]

How many games does NED need for RFA status, four?

Thanks, here it is:



Looks like Capfriendly says the career games dropped from 28 to 26, so Ned would need only 6 more games in that case.

So 26 qualifying career games according to this tweet from early in March.

Ned has 1 game that doesn't qualify in his career (<30 minutes played by 3 ****** seconds.)

He's now at 24 qualifying games, only needing 2 more this season to hit RFA status.

 

[chaz4hockey]

Thanks for your quick reply!!!!!

 

[Unsustainable]

 

[A Star is Burns]

Ned has been outstanding. He's cleaned up everything folks like me were worried about. I think he looks significantly better and calmer than I ever saw him in the AHL and definitely last year in the NHL. Maybe that's just cause the AHL isn't a great league and it made him look worse than he really is at times. We'll see if he can handle a big workload in the NHL and playing more than 7 teams next year. Perhaps with quite a different team in front of him as well. But you can't say enough about what he's done for us this year. The jury is still out long term, but he's earned the look next year (and this obviously).

Anyways, we all get stuff wrong. I'm more than happy to have been wrong so far and I hope I'm wrong as I said all along and that Ned keeps kicking ass for us for a long time. Gold is a doof, but he gets stuff right and wrong like all of us.

 

[Chrispy]

View attachment 427147

Game recognize game, Adam.

 

[VibesAlive]

So 26 qualifying career games according to this tweet from early in March.

Ned has 1 game that doesn't qualify in his career (<30 minutes played by 3 ****** seconds.)

He's now at 24 qualifying games, only needing 2 more this season to hit RFA status.

Thanks, I came in hoping to substantiate that he only needs 2 more games to hit RFA.

 

[Derailed75]

View attachment 427147

I love when people man up and admit to their mistakes

 

[RibFrabcus]

Here's an updated look on how Ned performs against different shot types and locations. Basically he's solid all around, and his only "weakness" is backhand shots, though he only gives up goals at a league average rate. Everything else he saves comfortably more than expected.

 

[emptyNedder]

Here's an updated look on how Ned performs against different shot types and locations. Basically he's solid all around, and his only "weakness" is backhand shots, though he only gives up goals at a league average rate. Everything else he saves comfortably more than expected.

If I am interpreting this correctly, it is backhand shots on his blocker side. So either right-shot players taking backhands or left-shot skaters actually with their back to the goal.

 

[tarheelhockey]

I remember a while back somebody posted an article/interview about Eddie Lack and how his style of play was a bad match for Carolina, so they were wondering why the Canes went after him. I don't recall all the details of the article, but the essence of it was that the Canes wanted goalies to be more aggressive and Lack was better at playing deeper in the net and using his size and hands. Playing deeper gave him more time to read/react and when the Canes tried to change his style, it was a disaster.

Conversely, with how the Canes are constructed today, I think Ned's style of play is a very good fit. The Canes can be a bit chaotic when hemmed in their own zone, and the aggressive D gives up more high danger chances. Ned's athletic ability covers up for some of that (as does Mrazeks). Also, the Canes like to get the puck moving in transition as quickly as possible and Ned's puck handling ability is a benefit in that regard as well.

In the end, the goalie has to stop the puck and Ned has been doing that this year. If he can continue to do so, his athleticism and puck handling could be a big benefit to the Canes and how they play.

Bingo. This is the rare case where, as fans, we can easily see the intersection of the right goalie with the right team.

A lot of the "goalies are voodoo" stuff comes down to these same factors, but it's just really hard to put our finger on the exact causes unless we get an insider's breakdown like we did for Lack.

 

[tarheelhockey]

If I am interpreting this correctly, it is backhand shots on his blocker side. So either right-shot players taking backhands or left-shot skaters actually with their back to the goal.

Based on the location and the type of shot, I have to think breakaways are a big factor there. Maybe rebounds, but it doesn't make sense for those to go in at a dramatically different rate from one side of the net than the other (unless other shots are doing the same).

 

[Chrispy]

Based on the location and the type of shot, I have to think breakaways are a big factor there. Maybe rebounds, but it doesn't make sense for those to go in at a dramatically different rate from one side of the net than the other (unless other shots are doing the same).

I don't feel like more shots are rebounding blocker side than glove side from Ned either (the theory rebounds might be scored at the same rate, but more rebound shots would be coming from the blocker side than the glove.)

Also, he's in the blue for wrist/snap shots on his blocker side which makes the rebound theory less likely as well.

 

[tarheelhockey]

Based on the location and the type of shot, I have to think breakaways are a big factor there. Maybe rebounds, but it doesn't make sense for those to go in at a dramatically different rate from one side of the net than the other (unless other shots are doing the same).

Ok, just testing that theory. Here are the backhand blocker-side goals scored on Ned this year:

2/8 Columbus - Roslovic on a short breakaway, slid the puck 5-hole (this was a highlight goal)
2/13 Dallas - Dickinson wide open (really wide open) on a rebound when Ned was down
2/24 Tampa - Palat kind of speared the puck in from the middle, I am assuming this counted
3/1 Florida - Luostarainen on his 4th whack at it, technically a forehand but may have counted
3/25 Columbus - Werenski bounced the puck in off Ned's arm from below the goal line.
4/24 Florida - Wennberg slipped a rebound 5-hole after it bounced around chaotically

So we're talking about just a few goals here, could be as few as only 4. Of those, there's really not a pattern to be seen. One was a breakaway, one was a behind-the-net shot, and two were cases where Ned was down and out while someone tucked in a rebound from the side of the net. The two I'm uncertain about whether they counted both occurred in similar scenarios -- a loose puck being jammed in from point blank.

I'd call it statistical white noise unless it persists over the long term.

 

[RibFrabcus]

Ok, just testing that theory. Here are the backhand blocker-side goals scored on Ned this year:

2/8 Columbus - Roslovic on a short breakaway, slid the puck 5-hole (this was a highlight goal)
2/13 Dallas - Dickinson wide open (really wide open) on a rebound when Ned was down
2/24 Tampa - Palat kind of speared the puck in from the middle, I am assuming this counted
3/1 Florida - Luostarainen on his 4th whack at it, technically a forehand but may have counted
3/25 Columbus - Werenski bounced the puck in off Ned's arm from below the goal line.
4/24 Florida - Wennberg slipped a rebound 5-hole after it bounced around chaotically

So we're talking about just a few goals here, could be as few as only 4. Of those, there's really not a pattern to be seen. One was a breakaway, one was a behind-the-net shot, and two were cases where Ned was down and out while someone tucked in a rebound from the side of the net. The two I'm uncertain about whether they counted both occurred in similar scenarios -- a loose puck being jammed in from point blank.

I'd call it statistical white noise unless it persists over the long term.

And even then, he's given up 6 goals on 6 expected goals which is fine.

 

[Tryamw]

And even then, he's given up 6 goals on 6 expected goals which is fine.

So you are indicating not to kill him? Slowly pushes guillotine out of the way.

 

[MinJaBen]

Those heat maps only indicate where the shot came from, not where it went in against him. So a shot from the right might have gone to his glove side. The heat map asymmetry might have more to do with who is defending the shot on the right vs left than anything Ned is doing.

 

[tarheelhockey]

Those heat maps only indicate where the shot came from, not where it went in against him. So a shot from the right might have gone to his glove side. The heat map asymmetry might have more to do with who is defending the shot on the right vs left than anything Ned is doing.

When I did the list above, it included all backhands from that area of the ice. Seems to be just random circumstance, or possibly some sort of weird bias in how XG is calculated.

 

[NotOpie]

View attachment 427147

Small dick energy gonna small dick.....