The Athletic suggests Detroit Red Wings success hinges on key offseason acquisition

The Detroit Red Wings fleeced the Carolina Hurricanes this offseason, acquiring Calder Trophy finalist Alex Nedeljkovic for the contract rights of soon-to-be RFA Jonathan Bernier and the 94th overall selection in the upcoming NHL Draft. Detroit then immediately signed Nedeljkovic to a two-year contract worth $3 million per season. 

It was the latest stroke of genius for the Red Wings general manager, who once again proves why he's one of hockey's best at the position. He took full advantage of the Hurricanes, who didn't want to pay the goaltender who won them several playoff games this past spring what he wanted and lowballed him with an offer of half of what he'd sign for with Detroit. 

And according to Sean McIndoe of The Athletic, Detroit's success this upcoming season could hinge on their key offseason acquisition. Take a look at the reasoning below: 

The offseason so far: It was basically the Alex Nedeljkovic trade and then a handful of depth moves.

But their strangest story was: If Nedeljkovic turns out to be the answer in goal, Steve Yzerman will have added a key piece at a low price.

Bizarro-meter ranking: 3.4/10. Yzerman continues his slow-but-steady rebuild. Every year, we say that he’ll eventually have to get more aggressive, but apparently, that point hasn’t arrived yet. The Wings are on track, but it’s hard to see how they’ll be all that much better this year unless Nedeljkovic goes full superstar.

Thanks to his strong efforts during the 2020-21 NHL season, Nedeljkovic was nominated for the Calder Trophy as the NHL's top rookie. He also had a hand in Carolina's playoff success this season, winning four playoff games. 

While playing with the AHL's Charlotte Checkers, Nedeljkovic became the 13th goaltender in AHL history to score a goal. He would also help lead the Checkers to the Calder Cup in 2019.