The Chicago Blackhawks have contacted Peter Chiarelli and will interview him for their hockey operations vacancy, TSN's Darren Dreger reported on Thursday's edition of "Insider Trading."

Interim general manager Kyle Davidson is currently running the club, and the Blackhawks indicated earlier this week that he is a candidate for the position and will also receive an interview. The team elevated Davidson to the role following longtime GM Stan Bowman's resignation earlier this season in the wake of the Kyle Beach allegations.

Chicago formed an advisory panel that includes Marian Hossa, Eddie Olczyk, and Patrick Sharp to help in the search for a new GM.

The St. Louis Blues named Chiarelli vice president of hockey operations in September. He began as a front office executive in 1999 when the Ottawa Senators hired him as an assistant GM. Chiarelli later became GM of the Boston Bruins from 2006-15 and the Edmonton Oilers from 2015-19.

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If you're heading to the movie theater to see the latest installment of the Jackass film series, you're also going to get a dose of NHL star P.K. Subban.

The New Jersey Devils defenseman confirmed on Twitter Thursday that he's participating in one of the segments for "Jackass Forever," the fourth movie in the film franchise hitting theaters on Feb. 3.

The cast tasked Subban with firing a slapshot at one of their members to test the true protectiveness of a jockstrap.

Subban has one of the hardest shots in the league - the 32-year-old clocked a slapshot at 98.7 miles per hour at the 2018 All-Star Game.

The Jackass film series involves cast members such as Johnny Knoxville and Steve-O participating in various outrageous stunts.

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The NHL announced the assignments Thursday for this weekend's All-Star Skills Competition.

The league's top players will convene Friday in Las Vegas to showcase their wide array of talents beginning at 7:30 ET.

Here are the participants in each event.

Fastest Skater

Save Streak

Fountain Face-Off

This competition is new to the event and features plenty of Sin City flair. Players will travel by boat into the famous Bellagio fountains and shoot pucks at five targets, attempting to hit them all in the least amount of time.

Lamoureux-Davidson is a former U.S. Olympian.

Hardest Shot

Breakaway Challenge

Manon Rheaume and Wyatt Russell will serve as celebrity goalies for the event.

21 in '22

Another new event, this will be a blackjack-style game where players shoot pucks at giant playing cards on Las Vegas Boulevard.

Accuracy Shooting

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There's a quote attributed to Jacques Plante that still hits the mark today, nearly a half-century after the legendary Montreal Canadien's last game.

"Only a goalie," Plante said, "Can appreciate what a goalie goes through."

Back then, Plante was probably talking about pain thresholds in an era of primitive equipment. In 2022, his quote can relate to the overall sophistication of the position: Playing goalie is arguably the most unique role in all of sports, and oftentimes, we non-goalies like to lean on experts for nuanced analysis.

With that in mind, and with NHL All-Star festivities starting Friday, theScore reached out to five goaltending experts to form a midseason roundtable:

• Darren Pang - TV analyst for TNT and other outlets, former NHL goalie
• Adam Francilia - private goalie development coach/trainer
• John Healy - vice-president of data collection for Clear Sight Analytics
• Rob Gherson - founder/coach for Conscious Goaltending, former AHL goalie
• Paul Campbell - writer for InGoal Magazine

In five separate conversations, we asked the experts four main questions:

• Who are your Vezina Trophy frontrunners halfway through the season?
• Who do you consider to be in the "truly elite" tier of NHL goalies?
• Which goalie has the highest ceiling among the 26-and-under group?
• If you could pick any active goalie, who would you start in a Game 7?

OK, let's get to their answers and rationale.

Vezina frontrunners

All hail Igor Shesterkin.

Every single expert had the New York Rangers' star goalie either as their clear-cut midseason Vezina pick or part of a very small group of leading candidates.

"Both from the eye test and from any statistical measure that we have," Campbell said, "he is a frontrunner this year."

"They're going from Hank to Shesterkin with no hiccup," Healy said of the post-Henrik Lundqvist era in New York. "It's like going from Favre to Rodgers. You go from great to great."

Among the 32 netminders with 800 or more minutes played, Shesterkin leads the NHL in save percentage (.937), goals saved above average (25.64), and goals saved above expected (23.51), according to Evolving Hockey. (The 26-year-old Russian was also first in theScore's latest Vezina power rankings.)

Healy and the staff at Clear Sight Analytics manually track and categorize every scoring chance generated in NHL games. This thorough data set allows them to grade the defensive environments each puck-stopper operates within and ultimately offer a fuller picture of who's excelling between the pipes.

As displayed below, Shesterkin sits second to St. Louis' Ville Husso in one key Clear Sight stat - SV% Differential, which measures the gap between a goalie's SV% and the expected SV% of an average goalie in the same environment.

To summarize, Shesterkin is putting up tremendous numbers while not only playing behind an unspectacular defensive squad but also facing twice as many scoring chances as Husso. Another layer of context: Shesterkin's performing at a rockstar level under the lights of Madison Square Garden.

"Those external parameters can't be underestimated," said Francilia, whose client list features 10 NHL netminders, including Connor Hellebuyck and Frederik Andersen. "As far as Shesterkin's play is concerned, he's just been so consistent, so reliable. I love the structure and foundation in his game."

Juuse Saros was the only other goalie all five experts labeled a Vezina frontrunner. The 5-foot-11 heir to Pekka Rinne's throne in Nashville followed up a phenomenal stretch run in 2020-21 with a .927 SV% in 38 games this campaign. Saros is well-rounded - supremely athletic and intelligent, plus technically sound. "He doesn't just rely on Cirque du Soleil," Francilia said.

Pang, who's 5-foot-5, is a huge Saros fan. He likes to advocate for goalies of smaller stature, in general, because talent evaluators have developed a strong bias towards tall prospects. He nearly lost it recently when two general managers informed him they'd instructed their scouts to outright ignore all goalies under 6-foot-3.

"To me, that's a little bit silly and disrespectful. There are going to be exceptions to that rule, and Saros certainly is that," Pang said.

Pittsburgh's Tristan Jarry, Tampa Bay's Andrei Vasilevskiy, and Carolina's Andersen also received some frontrunner love. This is where the "who might win" list gets tangled up in the "who should win" list. The voting body (GMs) tends to place a premium on wins, games started, and team success, and all three rank top-five in wins and top-15 in starts while playing for contenders.

As Campbell explains, Vasilevskiy has a distinct "glow" to him as the guy who has won a Vezina, a Conn Smythe, and two Stanley Cups since 2018-19.

"Even when Carey Price started performing more poorly over time, there were a few years when people still recognized him as maybe the best goaltender in the world - if healthy," Campbell said. "Vasilevskiy certainly isn't declining, but he's getting a little boost from that glow so far this year. He's probably going to be in the mix for the Vezina, even though he shouldn't take top spot."

Calgary's Jacob Markstrom, Vancouver's Thatcher Demko, and Toronto's Jack Campbell (no relation to Paul) got passing mentions for the Vezina, too.

'Truly elite' tier

The first and second topics of this exercise may seem redundant.

After all, aren't Vezina front-runners inherently elite? Yes … and also no.

They're elite right now - through the first half of 2021-22. By asking the experts for a list of "truly elite" goalies, on the other hand, we were focusing on the full landscape. Streakiness aside, who are the top dogs at the position?

While nobody offered identical lists, all five experts did tap the Russian Vasilevskiy and the American Hellebuyck as members of the "truly elite" tier.

"Vasilevskiy's such an incredible athlete, and his technical ability is really good, too," said Gherson, who started coaching in 2009 after four years in the minors. "Sometimes he'll do something, and it's like, 'How did he make that save when he was way out in the white ice and came all the way across?' People shouldn't be able to travel that far and still be compact as they move."

Hellebuyck, who is having a down year by his lofty standards, has challenged Vasilevskiy for best-in-the-world status over the past handful of years. The Winnipeg Jets' steadying force was a runner-up for the Vezina in 2017-18, won the award in 2019-20, and then finished fourth on the ballot last year.

Campbell credited Francilia for helping transform Hellebuyck's game.

"The stiller he is, the better he's going to look. The boy is massive," Campbell said of the 6-foot-4, 207-pound Hellebuyck. "He takes up a lot of space, and he knows how to use his body now. He's optimized that. As long as the defense is sufficient - it doesn't have to be great, and rarely is - he's going to be just fine. A lot of pucks are going to hit him, and he's excellent at that."

Meanwhile, both Shesterkin and Saros appeared on four of five lists. The single exclusion wasn't a knock on either goalie - two experts merely had different criteria for crowning a few high-end netminders as "truly elite."

Pang, for instance, divided a group of eight into two camps - Shesterkin, Vasilevskiy, Hellebuyck, and Chicago's Marc-Andre Fleury at the very top, and then Saros, Demko, Markstrom, and Anaheim's John Gibson a cut below.

Francilia left Shesterkin off his "truly elite" list due to a relative lack of NHL experience. (Similar to Pang placing Saros in his second camp, Shesterkin instead made Francilia's "emerging category" alongside Demko and Markstrom.) Joining Vasilevskiy, Hellebuyck, and Saros on the main list? Fleury, Florida's Sergei Bobrovsky, and Andersen, who's having a career year.

Andersen boasts a .929 SV%, 16.49 goals saved above average, and 22.05 goals saved above expected through 30 games with the 31-9-2 Hurricanes.

"Freddie's put a lot of work into stabilizing his body and restructuring his stance so that when he moves, he moves in one piece," Francilia said. "The restructuring has essentially allowed him to keep his head in an optimal position, so his eyes can read the play, and he can see the puck in a much more consistent way. It's almost like the game is slowing down for him."

Highest ceiling

Jarry. Saros. Demko. Husso. Shesterkin. Carter Hart. Alex Nedeljkovic. Ilya Samsonov. Ilya Sorokin. Spencer Knight.

That's an incomplete rundown of NHL puck-stoppers currently age 26 or younger. Plenty of options. Yet, perhaps unsurprisingly, all five experts picked Shesterkin as the 26-and-under netminder with the highest ceiling.

"The biggest and, really, only question that I would raise with Shesterkin is that he's injury-prone," Healy said. "So, either he's going to change the way he trains in the summer, or he's going to be a guy where six, seven years from now, his body starts breaking down. The team is going to be like, 'Can we deal with that groin injury for three weeks every season if our goalie is getting a cap hit like Bobrovsky at the $9-10 million mark?' That's tough to swallow."

Gherson, for one, couldn't be higher on Shesterkin's future - the former member of the Rangers organization also worked closely with Benoit Allaire, the club's well-respected goalie coach. In the next breath, Gherson highlighted Jarry's underrated campaign (.923 SV%) and untapped potential.

"He moves very explosively, but when he moves, he also doesn't open up any holes," Gherson said, adding Vegas' Robin Lehner is exceptional at this skill.

Also receiving consideration from the experts in this crystal-ball category: Saros, Demko, the Islanders' Sorokin, and Florida's Knight.

Game 7 guy

Proof of concept.

It's perhaps unfair to his peers - some of which haven't competed in the postseason - but Vasilevskiy's track record of experience and execution is a significant reason why four of five experts chose the future Hall of Famer as their hypothetical Game 7 goalie (Campbell went with Shesterkin).

Vasilevskiy's the last line of defense for the two-time defending champions.

"I just think he's got such a commanding presence, a feel for the net, a feel for the game, and an ability to bounce back after a bad goal," Pang said. "He shrugs things off really, really well. He's intimidating in the net because of his size and his athleticism, too. I think he moves post to post just so, so well."

"How many goalies," Francilia added, "can skate into a Game 7, and before the puck drops, it's already 1-0?"

John Matisz is theScore's senior NHL writer. Follow John on Twitter (@MatiszJohn) or contact him via email (john.matisz@thescore.com).

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Chicago Blackhawks owner Rocky Wirtz directed a tirade at a pair of reporters Wednesday at a town hall for asking questions about Kyle Beach.

The town hall, which was organized by the team, was the first time the Blackhawks brass had publicly taken questions since reaching a confidential settlement with Beach in December in a negligence lawsuit against the club. Beach said former Blackhawks video coach Brad Aldrich sexually assaulted him while he was a Black Ace for the team during the 2010 playoffs.

The Athletic's Mark Lazerus asked Blackhawks CEO Danny Wirtz the following question:

"I know we're looking forward here, but I think we have to look back, also. I think much of what happened to Kyle Beach stemmed from a power imbalance between a coach and a player, and the powerlessness of a player in that situation. So, what are the Blackhawks doing, what have the Blackhawks done, what will the Blackhawks do to empower a player in a similar situation to make sure that doesn't happen again?"

Rocky took the question instead and berated Lazerus.

"I think the report speaks for itself," Rocky said. "The people that were involved are no longer here. We're not looking back at 2010, we're looking forward. And we're not going to talk about 2010."

When Lazerus noted he wasn't talking about 2010, Rocky went off again.

"We're not going to talk about what happened," he said. "Were moving forward. That is my answer."

When Danny tried to step in and explain what the team is doing today, Rocky interrupted his son, pointed at Lazerus, and said, "That's none of your business."

When Lazerus countered, Rocky clapped back again.

"You don't work for the company," he said. "If somebody in the company asks that question, we'll answer it. And I think you should get on to the next subject. We're not going to talk about Kyle Beach. We're not going to talk about anything that happened. Now, we're moving on. What more do I have to say. You want to keep asking the same questions?"

Phillip Thompson of the Chicago Tribune then followed up with a similar question. Thompson noted that after the investigation, the team vowed to change its culture and values to protect players in the future, but before he could even complete his question, Rocky interrupted.

The two then engaged in a rather heated discussion.

"I told you, we're moving on," Rocky said. "I think you're out of line to ask this line of questioning. Why don't you ask about something else?"

An independent investigation conducted by law firm Jenner & Block determined that senior leaders, at minimum, knew about allegations of sexual misconduct against Aldrich, did not act immediately, and later allowed him to resign without an investigation.

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The Anaheim Ducks are likely choosing experienced executive and former NHL player Pat Verbeek as their next general manager, according to The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun and Eric Stephens.

Verbeek is the Detroit Red Wings' assistant GM, a role he's occupied since May 2019.

Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman brought Verbeek back to Detroit after the former teammates worked together with the Tampa Bay Lightning dating back to 2010. Verbeek had served as a pro scout with the Red Wings before joining the Lightning. The 57-year-old was also Team North America's director of player personnel at the World Cup of Hockey in 2016.

Tampa Bay hired Verbeek as director of pro scouting in June 2010, shortly after landing Yzerman. Tampa Bay then promoted Verbeek to assistant GM in July 2011.

Verbeek suited up for five teams, including Detroit, during his 20-year playing career. The former winger collected 522 goals and 540 assists over 1,424 games. He won the Stanley Cup with the Dallas Stars in 1999.

Anaheim's previous GM and executive vice president, Bob Murray, resigned in November and pledged to enter an alcohol abuse program following a team investigation into his professional conduct. Murray had been with Anaheim as an executive since 2005 and as GM since 2008.

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Washington Capitals superstar forward Alex Ovechkin is out for Wednesday's clash versus the Edmonton Oilers and will miss All-Star Weekend after testing positive for COVID-19, the team announced.

Ovechkin was named captain of the Metropolitan Division All-Star squad. A replacement hasn't yet been selected.

Central Division captain Nathan MacKinnon is also unavailable for this year's festivities due to injury.

Ovechkin is in the midst of an MVP-caliber season. The 36-year-old is fifth in the league with 58 points and third with 29 goals. He's been to seven All-Star Games in his career and was suspended one game for skipping the event in 2020.

All-Star Weekend begins Feb. 4 in Las Vegas.

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When the NHL called Manon Rheaume a couple of weeks ago to ask if she'd be interested in participating in the All-Star Skills Competition - set for this coming weekend in Las Vegas - her answer was a no-brainer.

"Yes, of course," Rheaume thought. "I mean, why not!?"

One problem: Rheaume, the long-retired goaltender who made history by appearing in an NHL exhibition game in September 1992, didn't own suitable gear. Bauer quickly sent Rheaume brand-new equipment so the former Canadian Olympian could squeeze in a few warm-up sessions before Vegas.

"I had not been on the ice in forever," Rheaume said Tuesday in an interview.

"I didn't realize how easy it is to get dressed now as a goalie and how light this stuff is. You can play with it right away. It's all broken in."

Rheaume, who covers the Red Wings as a TV analyst and reporter for Bally Sports Detroit, is one of four "special guests" taking part in Friday's skills event at T-Mobile Arena. The pro hockey trailblazer and current under-12 girls coach will face off against world-class danglers in the Breakaway Challenge, which also features Anaheim Ducks sensation Trevor Zegras.

"I hope the puck is going to touch me at some point," Rheaume joked.

While waiting at the airport for her flight from Detroit to Vegas, Rheaume chatted with theScore about a variety of topics - breaking new ground 30 years ago, the state of women's hockey, the rebuilding Wings, and more.

(Note: The following conversation has been lightly edited for length and clarity.)

Let's go back to 1992. You arrive in Tampa, Florida, for Lightning training camp. What are your expectations for the on-ice portion of the camp and also for how you'd be received off the ice by teammates, coaches, etc.?

It's funny, because back then I was 20 years old, and I had zero expectations. I had no idea how this whole experience would change my life. When I was younger, a lot of people would say no to me because I was a girl. They didn't want me to play at the highest level. And then suddenly, after getting cut three or four times, one coach picked the best goalie, and he picked me. So I played two years, bantam AA. And then (the next level) was midget AAA, and they invited everyone who had played AA except for me. Because I was a girl.

I faced so much of that along the way that when I got invited to Tampa, I told myself I didn't want to have any regrets, and I need to take this chance because, obviously, it's never going to come back. (laughs) And I just went there with zero expectations. I didn't know how I would be received. My English was not very good, so I just went there and tried to do my best.

I remember thinking that first time I stepped on the ice was probably going to be the most important moment. We started right away with a mini-tournament, and I did not allow any goals on 14 shots. I was the only goalie in that game who did not allow a goal. That totally changed how people saw me, too. It's almost like I gained respect from the players and the media and the people that were there.

It's after that performance that (then-Lightning general manager Phil Esposito) announced that, by the way she played today, maybe you'll see her in an exhibition game.

You made seven saves on nine shots in that exhibition game against the St. Louis Blues. What are the flashbulb memories 30 years later? What really resonates still to this day about the period you were in goal?

The walk from my locker room to the ice. It was probably the most nervous I've ever been. I remember my heart beating so fast. It felt like it was coming out of my chest.

But the cool thing is, when I stepped on the ice, I kind of forgot that I was playing an NHL game and what I was about to do. I just stepped on the ice, and the butterflies went away, and I was just ready to play a hockey game. That feeling was probably the coolest feeling I've ever had. It's almost like, "This is what you've been doing all of your life. This is what you love to do. And this is what you're about to do right now."

It was really, really a cool feeling. And then, right away, we got a penalty. They were on the power play, like, within the first minute of the game, and I'm thinking to myself, "Really!?" (laughs) But it was probably the best thing because I had two or three shots right away, and it got me into the game. And the Tampa players, too, they started to feel good about it. After the first period, it was 2-2, so for me, it was a big victory.

Women's hockey action at the Beijing Olympics starts this week. Do you recall what you were doing and how you were feeling a day or two before the 1998 Olympic tournament began in Nagano, Japan?

One memory is the bus pulling into the (athletes' Olympic) village, and you step out of the bus, and you're seeing the village in front of you, and it was just a very overwhelming feeling. Like, wow. It made it real.

The other moment is the opening ceremony. I remember, as a kid, always watching the opening ceremony, and every time Canada would come through (the stadium), I'd try to see how they were dressed. You had that pride of seeing your country walking around, and this time it was me. So I couldn't take the smile off my face the entire time I walked around.

If I'm picturing the Canadian athletes from Nagano correctly, you guys were wearing those famous - or infamous, depending on who you ask - red Roots caps. Do you still have the cap? Is it a souvenir?

I still have all of my Roots stuff. I have my jackets. I have my boots. I kept everything. It was an iconic hat, right? Like, everyone talked about that hat. We'd put it backward. It was just so cool.

While Finland has made up some ground in the women's game recently, the sport is still dominated by Canada and the United States. Heading into Beijing, who's your gold medal favorite? And why?

I played hockey in Canada, (I've) had a lot of friends on Team Canada over the years and some who continue to be involved. But I live in the States, so I've coached a lot of the young girls that play now. I coached Kendall Coyne, Alex Rigsby (Cavallini), Megan Bozek, Abbey Murphy. I have ties on both sides, knowing people. And I've just been enjoying watching the games.

What is really cool about the women's game is that when Canada and U.S. are on the ice, they're competing. They want to win. But they have such a respect for each other because they've all tried to grow the women's game. When we started, Canada and USA, we used to dislike each other (off the ice, too). The rivalry was different. Now, they still compete and fight, and there's intensity. But they're all also growing the women's game.

As far as looking at (who's going to win gold), Canada won the last world championship, but the U.S. had the last five. The U.S. won the last Olympics, but Canada won the last four. So, it could be either/or.

The (tune-up) games prior to the Olympics, yes, Canada won four of the six, but three of them went into OT. It could have gone either way, so to me, the way that I look at the Games is that it's going to come down to goaltending. Who's going to be the hottest goalie in the (gold-medal game)? And also discipline. In a lot of those big games, not a lot of goals are scored five-on-five. A lot of the goals are scored on the power play. So the team who is going to be the most disciplined and who has the goalie that's the hottest, to me, that's the team that's going to win.

You mentioned coaching Kendall Coyne. We all know about her incredible speed after her performance at the 2019 NHL All-Star Skills Competition. What else should people know about Kendall?

I coached her for quite a few tournaments, and I knew she was going to go far in life. Not just in hockey but in life. Because it was her drive, her work ethic, and she was always the best player on any team that I coached. But she also never acted like she was the best player. She always worked harder than anybody else on the ice, off the ice. Just a great person with a great work ethic, and really, a great team player.

The women's professional game remains in a holding pattern of sorts, where it seems like the consensus long-term solution is to establish a sustainable top league. What's your hope for the future?

You cannot have two or three leagues going at the same time. You're just fighting for players and splitting up players. Women's hockey is not big enough to have something like that. You need to have one league with the top players available to play in that league.

I think it would be important to have maybe a second league to give a chance to some young girls who maybe aren't making the team right away but could eventually. Or even some woman who doesn't make the top league but can still play somewhat professionally and make some money out of it. But trying to compete and have two pro leagues, or three, is just never going to work. It would be like having two NHLs. It's not going to work.

Speaking of the NHL, we're seeing women assume key roles in hockey operations, whether it's through management, player development, scouting, analytics. Have you given any thought to working in the NHL?

Of course. If the right opportunity would come, with all of the experience I have gained over the years, between coaching and building a (youth hockey) program and having two boys that play at a high level, I would consider it.

It's funny, sometimes I see some kids my sons played with that get drafted, or not drafted, and you just know the type of player they are when they're younger, and then you're like, "Ah, not surprised this person didn't make it." Or, "I knew this kid was going to make it." Because you saw what they were doing at a younger age, with their character and everything else. Knowing what you need to get to the next level, you have a good idea of who can make it. Hockey's been my life. Between playing and having kids that play, coaching. So, definitely, it would be something that I would consider if the right opportunity would come.

Do you know new Canucks assistant GM Emilie Castonguay?

I don't know her personally. But I do know her story. Obviously, she did an amazing job as an agent. Well-respected. It's the same thing you have in Montreal with (new GM) Kent Hughes, and we saw it with Pierre Lacroix years ago with Colorado. These are agents becoming managers. They understand the player side, and they also have dealt with management over the years, so they have a certain experience that other people may not have. I think that can be very beneficial, having been working on the other side for (so long).

Valid point. It can go as far as somebody who hasn't played high-level hockey bringing a fresh mind to the analytics department, right? It's smart to have different perspectives in your organization, period.

And it's not to have diversity just to say you have diversity. That's what, I think, people need to understand. Bringing diversity is bringing different ideas.

They made that book, "Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus," because we think differently, which means maybe we approach things differently. It doesn't mean one is better than the other one. But, as a team, as an organization, or even a company, the reason why you should want to find diversity is because you have different ideas, different views. Getting that perspective, that view, is just so valuable.

The reason I truly believe in this is because when I was coaching my boys at a younger age, I had so many parents that would say to me that the way that I was approaching coaching, because I'm a mom, was different. I communicated with the kids better, and I was more about positive reinforcement and trying to get to know the kids. You know which kids you need to be a little harder on, which kids you need to be more positive. You get to know how each kid reacts. Some of the male coaches, then, didn't have the patience to deal with it. And it's not bad, or it's not good, it's just their way.

That's where I feel bringing diversity to a team or a company can be very beneficial. It's a different look or a different view.

OK, let's finish with some Red Wings talk. Plenty of breakout years from rookies, including goalie Alex Nedeljkovic. From your perspective as a former goalie, what's been most impressive about Alex's season?

I like a lot of things about Nedeljkovic. But what I think I like the most is how competitive he is and how he is able to, at a young age, move on from a bad goal. That's a big strength as a goalie. Being a goalie - it's so much in your head.

He can read the play very, very well. And he's athletic. So he reacts to the play and to the shot. He's not a blocker, and that's why sometimes he makes those amazing saves, where it looks like he's doing whatever he needs to do to stop the puck. He's reacting to what's in front of him. He doesn't have the size (at only 6-foot-1) to be a blocker.

I also like the way he plays the puck. To me, a goalie who can play the puck is huge. It's like your third defenseman. Coaches know how important it is, defensemen and forwards know how important it is, but a lot of hockey fans don't understand the difference it can make.

Detroit could make the playoffs this season, but it's highly improbable at this point. How would you evaluate the state of the Red Wings and their rebuild? How far is this team from returning to prominence?

Bringing Steve Yzerman back to Detroit (as GM) was really the start of getting back to where the Red Wings want to be. It's never going to be like it was back in the day. That was before the salary cap. (laughs) They were able to get whoever wanted to win the Cup. They were all coming to the Red Wings. They were able to build those amazing teams. Now, with the salary cap, it's a little different.

But you saw what he did with Tampa Bay, building a Cup-winning team. Even just the decisions he's made so far in Detroit, drafting (Moritz) Seider. People were wondering why he picked him so early (at sixth overall). Same thing with (Lucas) Raymond. Yzerman just has this amazing hockey mind. He knows what it takes as a player because he was successful. He knows the style of player that he needs, and he knows now how to build a team after being in Tampa Bay. He knows he needs to be patient.

I truly feel that this season, with having Seider, Raymond, and Nedeljkovic, it has not been just a few good games. They've been consistent all year long, as players and as a team. They've sped up their rebuilding. They're a few years away from really making (a deep playoff run). We'd like to see them in the playoffs this year, but it's going to be a hard battle to get there.

John Matisz is theScore's senior NHL writer. Follow John on Twitter (@MatiszJohn) or contact him via email (john.matisz@thescore.com).

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