The Colorado Avalanche will have one major question heading into training camp: What will MacKenzie Blackwood bring to the table this season?
With the Cale Makar drama officially behind them, the Avs will need more clarity from the crease. Last season, Blackwood’s absence due to injury opened the door for Scott Wedgewood to essentially save the season.
Wedgewood didn’t just step in to salvage what he could. He played at a legit, Vezina Trophy level.
But asking Wedgewood to do that again this season might be a bit too much. And it might be way too much when thinking that the Avalanche supposedly have Blackwood as their starting netminder.
That’s Blackwood could be the link on which the Avalanche’s season hinges on.
If the 29-year-old has a lights-out season, well, everyone will be able to breathe a sigh of relief. But if he struggles, for whatever reason, the goaltending situation will all of a sudden become a pain point for Colorado.
Needless to say, the Avalanche need Blackwood to be the guy moving forward. And with the season shifting to 84 games, the club won’t need one, but TWO solid goalies to share the load for the entire season.
Blackwood must provide stability in the crease
The bottom line is that the Avalanche need Blackwood to provide stability in the crease. It’s just one of those psychological things that helps the team settle down and focus on doing their job.
The good news is that Blackwood has the best team in the NHL in front of him. So, it’s not like he’s going to have to steal every game, every night. As long as he stays healthy, and can play well enough, the Avalanche should thrive this season.
If he can’t, Jared Bendar will have to turn to Wedgewood. And while the veteran backup has proven he can handle the job, it would raise questions about the need for another goaltender.
Given the way the NHL goalie market has trended, trading for another goalie this season would be a mess. Unless there was a realistic path to land Connor Hellebuyck, the Avalanche would be much better off just getting good goaltending from Blackwood.
The idea of having a Blackwood-Wedgewood tandem firing on all cylinders is something that the Avs will need to become the no-doubt top Stanley Cup contenders this season.
The question posed in this discussion will get a preliminary answer in training camp. It will take 84 games over the next few months to see a full and total response.
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