Detroit Red Wings place Alex Nedeljkovic on waivers: What it means

Detroit Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman placed another veteran on waivers, again showing a willingness to cut loose a player not performing to

expectations. Goaltender Alex Nedeljovic went to waivers Sunday afternoon, two days before his conditioning stint in the minors would have expired. If

Nedeljkovic clears, he can be assigned to the minors. That is what happened earlier this month when forward Jakub Vrana was waived and cleared. Yzerman has not

addressed either move in the media. Start the day smarter. Get all the news you need in your inbox each morning. The move comes as Nedeljkovic has

struggled to regain the form he showed last season as the Wings' starter. He is 2-4-2 with a 4.09 goals-against average and .880 save percentage. WINGS

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Jackets The move shows the Wings are comfortable with Magnus Hellberg as the backup to Ville Husso. Hellberg is 2-3-0 with a 2.81 GAA and .896 save percentage.

Hellberg is also significantly cheaper, earning $750,000 vs. Nedeljkovic's $3 million. Both are on expiring contracts. Nedeljkovic was sent to the Grand Rapids

Griffins on Jan. 4. He posted 27 saves in a 1-0 victory over the Chicago Wolves on Saturday, improving his save percentage to .920 and GAA to 2.30 in six games with the

Griffins.