Penguins trade away goalie Alex Nedeljkovic, avoid big-ticket items on 1st day of free agency

Alex Nedeljkovic was under no misconceptions as to how the offseason might unfold.

His gig as the Pittsburgh Penguins primary backup goaltender was far from secure.

“At the end of the day, it’s a business,” Nedeljkovic said during the team’s season-ending interviews April 18 in Cranberry. “(Management is) going to do what’s best for the organization right now and moving forward.

“Whatever happens, happens.”

What happened Tuesday was Nedeljkovic’s tenure with the club came to an end as he was traded to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for a third-round draft pick in 2028.

That transaction was — by default — the most notable maneuver Penguins president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas orchestrated Tuesday once the NHL’s free-agent signing period opened at noon.

The Penguins kept a few players (Connor Dewar and Philip Tomasino), added a trio of unrestricted free agents (Justin Brazeau, Caleb Jones and Parker Wotherspoon) and lost a pair from their minor-league ranks (Nate Clurman and Jimmy Huntington).

In all, it was a pretty quiet affair for the Penguins on one of the tentpole dates of the NHL calendar. And that wasn’t a surprise.

On Monday, Dubas indicated he would take a subdued approach to free agency as he continues to plot the course of his long-term refurbishment of the franchise.

“We’ve got a number of players in mind that I think we can give opportunity to,” Dubas said. “They won’t be the one-year contracts. They’ll maybe be two or three where we could see if they can be a long-term part of what we’re trying to do here and be a part of when the team is back in contention.”

Arguably, the biggest impact on the NHL roster by any of Tuesday’s transactions was created by Nedeljkovic’s departure. In addition to clearing the last year of Nedeljkovic’s contract and its salary cap hit of $2.5 million off the books, it offers opportunity for the likes of promising prospects Joel Blomqvist and Sergei Murashov as well as sturdy veteran Filip Larsson to move up the depth chart to serve as the backup to incumbent starter Tristan Jarry.

The signings of southpaw defensemen Jones and Wotherspoon — while hardly seismic — do address a stated area of improvement on the left side of the blue line.

During his season-ending media availability, Dubas critiqued that portion of the lineup in blunt terms.

“I think the left side of our defense, it’s been a problem,” Dubas said April 21. “There’s just no other way (to put it). … That’s an area I think, externally, that we have to (improve). So we’ll be on the lookout for that as we go through here.”

Appearing in a career-high 55 games with the Boston Bruins last season, Wotherspoon (6-foot-1, 192 pounds) scored seven points (one goal, six assists) while averaging 18 minutes, 2 seconds of ice time per contest.

Wotherspoon, who turns 28 on Aug. 24, will have a salary cap hit of $1 million.

Jones, 28, spent the 2024-25 season with the Los Angeles Kings organization, primarily at the American Hockey League level.

In six NHL games, the left-hander did not record a point while averaging 12:34 of ice time per contest.

With the AHL’s Ontario Reign, he skated in 44 games and scored 21 points (two goals, 19 assists).

His new contract carries a salary cap hit of $900,000.

As for Brazeau (pronounced BRAZ-oh), the 27-year-old forward split the 2024-25 campaign between the Bruins and Minnesota Wild. In total, he played in 76 games and scored 22 points (11 goals, 11 assists) while averaging 11:52 of ice time per contest.

A large presence at 6-6 and 227 pounds, Brazeau will have a salary cap hit of $1.5 million.

Internally, the Penguins retained the services of Dewar and Tomasino, each of whom were unrestricted free agents for a handful of hours Tuesday after the team declined to extend them qualifying offers as pending restricted free agents Monday.

Dewar’s salary cap hit is $1.1 million, and he is scheduled to enter unrestricted free agency next offseason. Meanwhile, Tomasino will carry a hit of $1.75 million and is slated to become a restricted free agent in 2026.

Both players were acquired in trades last season. Joining the Penguins on Nov. 25, Tomasino skated in 50 games for the club, scoring 23 points (11 goals, 12 assists) while averaging 13:27 of ice time.

Dewar arrived at the trade deadline March 7 and appeared in 17 games with the Penguins, posting seven points (four goals, three assists) and clocking an average ice time of 14:27.

Of the unrestricted free agents who finished the season signed to NHL contracts with the Penguins, only Clurman and Huntington signed elsewhere on Tuesday. Clurman, a defenseman, agreed to a one-year, two-way contract with the Montreal Canadiens, and Huntington, a forward, agreed to a one-year, two-way deal with the Sharks.

Veteran left-handed defensemen Matt Grzelcyk — who appeared in all 82 games and set a career-high with 40 points (one goal, 39 assists) — and P.O Joseph — plagued by injuries in 2024-25 — remained unemployed as of Tuesday evening.

As expected, things were mundane for the Penguins in terms of roster management Tuesday. But the offseason is far from over. After all, Dubas has swung major trades deep into August during each of his first two offseasons overseeing the franchise.

In 2023, he made a complicated blockbuster trade to acquire All-Star defenseman Erik Karlsson. Then, last year, he obtained valued forward prospect Rutger McGroarty.

On Monday, he noted trades are a viable option for implementing his designs.

“We might have more interest in doing a deal or a trade,” Dubas said Monday. “We’re going to evaluate everything. We’re going to do what’s best for the Penguins.”