The Colorado Avalanche pulled off a not-so-surprising deal on Monday, acquiring netminder Mackenzie Blackwood from the San Jose Sharks. My colleague Graham Tiedtke originally broke the news, writing an interesting piece regarding the trade’s details.
This trade completes the Colorado Avalanche’s goaltending overhaul. At the outset of the season, we looked into Justus Annunen potentially taking the crease over from Alexandar Georgiev. However, both Annunen and Georgiev struggled significantly.
Without a solid internal option to replace either one, the Avs were forced to seek help from the outside. The first to go was Annunen. Then, Scott Wedgewood’s shutout against the New Jersey Devils on Sunday night sealed Georgiev’s fate.
Most likely, the Sharks want Georgiev and Vitek Vanacek as placeholders for top goaltending prospect Yaroslav Askarov. If he’s not ready to take over this season, he’ll most likely get a shot next year.
That being said, Blackwood was relatively expendable for the Sharks. Blackwood basically blocked Askarov’s path to the NHL. Now that Blackwood has moved on, the Sharks are free to anoint Askarov as their starter.
That leaves Blackwood in a prime position to become the starter in Colorado. While it won’t be automatic, Blackwood, along with Wedgewood, will get every chance to prove themselves.
This is it. The Avs burned through their shots. Unless goalies become available at the trade deadline, and a deal is too good to refuse, the Avs will roll the dice with a Blackwood/Wedgewood combo. More than likely, coach Jared Bednar will alternate goalies and ride the hot hand as need be.
Mackenzie Blackwood trade not that surprising
Back on November 9, we looked into a rumor initially mentioned by Elliotte Friedman regarding the interest Colorado had in Blackwood.
Fast forward a month to the date, and the Avalanche have their man. Blackwood, the New Jersey Devils second-round pick in the 2015 draft, was once considered as the Devils’ goalie of the future. While Blackwood took a long path to get to the NHL, he had apparently made it during the 2019-20 season in which he posted a 2.77 GAA and a .915 SV% in 47 games.
However, he struggled the next two seasons, eventually being dealt to the Sharks during the 2023 offseason. Now, Blackwood can’t be blamed for the inflated numbers he had last season as he was playing behind the league’s worst team.
But he actually rebounded this season, winning six games while posting a 3.00 GAA and a .911 SV%. Now, Blackwood gets to play behind a far better team in Colorado.
It’s also worth pointing out that Blackwood will become a UFA this upcoming summer. That situation provides additional incentive for Blackwood to be at his best. There’s a new contract at stake. If all goes well, Blackwood could be calling Colorado his home for the foreseeable future.