The Colorado Avalanche traded for Mackenzie Blackwood earlier during the season, while shipping off Alexandar Georgiev. I was ecstatic. Though I only recall watching one game of Blackwood’s against the Avalanche, where he absolutely shined, there was just something in the back of my mind that was saying, “yes, he’s the answer.”
Blackwood has been nothing short of spectacular. Though the Avalanche still have lost some games, there haven’t been a ton of instances where you’d say, “Blackwood wants that one back.” I’m of course talking about goals that slip by him. Of course, he wants all of them back, but that’s not even the point of that phrase. The point is whether or not they were pucks he should have saved. Sometimes, the players in front of him either make spectacular offensive plays, and sometimes the defense messes up.
Entering the 4 Nations break in action, Blackwood is 14-6-0-2 for the Avalanche. He has a save percentage of .922 and a Goals Against Average (GAA) of 2.13. He’s made saves that blow your mind, and usually knows when to head straight back with his back on the ice, covering the puck. That’s something we haven’t seen. It’s legitimate epic goaltending.
The Hockey News praises Colorado Avalanche goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood, but don’t name him MVP
I really disagree with The Hockey News here. Yes, Nathan MacKinnon is having another MVP-type season. Yes, Cale Makar is amazing as always. Yes, the addition of Martin Necas was brilliant by Avalanche General Manager Chris MacFarland.
None of that would have really mattered if we stayed put with Alexandar Georgiev and Justus Annunen manning the net.
It’s really simple: If you have quality goaltending, you’re bound to play better. Though Georgiev led the league in wins last season, he still surrendered way too many goals. It was evident early on this season that he wasn’t destined to stay on the roster.
When Georgiev/Annunen were in net, anything could happen. While that’s still technically true, I have way more confidence in Blackwood and Wedgewood. I honestly think that Blackwood can become a Vezina winner or at least finalist later down the road with the Avalanche. He’s just played incredibly.
Of course, he’d have to unseat the likes of Connor Hellebuyck, which is nearly impossible. Even just being a runner-up Vezina candidate is praise itself. As long as the team keeps winning, the accolades will come and people will recognize Blackwood even more.
The ultimate goal is the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Colorado is on pace to make it but has a little bit of work to do to secure a spot. By the end of the season, Blackwood should be referred to as one of the most important players in the NHL, and his worth to the team will be noticed even more than it is right now.
The Avalanche are in a very good spot with their roster. With the trade deadline coming up, we’ll see if they make anymore moves, hopefully helping Blackwood out even more. The future is very bright, in my opinion.