Pegged at one time the goalie of the future for the New Jersey Devils, he is just that. Except this time, it is for the Colorado Avalanche. Last week, the Colorado Avalanche agreed to terms on a five-year contract extension with former Devils goalie Mackenzie Blackwood.
The pending unrestricted agent was acquired by the Avalanche from the San Jose Sharks for Alexander Georgiev, weeks prior to joining his former Devils mate Scott Wedgewood. However, GM Chris MacFarland has had his eye on the former Devils goaltender for quite some time. As a matter of fact, there is a reason why they gave him an AAV of $5.25 million on his five-year extension.
Former Devils Goalies Mackenzie Blackwood, Scott Wedgewood Reunite in Colorado
Blackwood has been looking to find stability ever since being drafted 42nd overall in the 2nd round of the 2015 NHL Draft by the Devils. Through his tenure with the Devils, he showed glimpses of what he could be as a number-one goalie in the NHL. New Jersey hoped they had found their goalie of the future following Cory Schneider and Keith Kinkaid.
Though the talent was there, the consistency wasn’t. Remember, the Devils had some bad teams during Blackwood’s tenure. However, he gave them a shot to win every night. His best season with the Devils came during the shortened 2019-20 season,n as he had a record of 22-14-8 with a 2.77 GAA and a .915 save percentage.
The best ability is availability, and Blackwood was not available at times for the Devils. He had a history of injuries with the Devils. Not to mention the whole COVID shot fiasco before the season was restarted. He did not want to get the shot. That led to some tension between him and GM Tom Fitzgerald. Thus, when the time was right, the Devils traded him to the San Jose Sharks.
While the Sharks were another team lower in the standings, Blackwood found his mark as a starting goalie. Growing with a young Sharks team that was being built similarly to the New Jersey Devils. During his tenure with the Sharks, he signed a two-year extension, that was to expired at the end of this season. He is currently making $2.350 million on an AAV.
The San Jose Sharks and New Jersey Devils Rebuilds Have a Similar Feel
However, that number doubles with this new five-year extension to $5.25 million. Not to mention, this is the longest contract Blackwood has signed since his entry-level deal of three years with the Devils. He gets stability in terms of the length of the deal and good compensation as well for the production he has between the pipes.
Now granted it is a small sample size with the Avalanche. In five games with the Avalanche this season, he has a record of 4-1 with a 1.82 GAA and a .940 save percentage. This season, Blackwood has a record of 10-10-3 with a 2.41 GAA and a .926 save percentage.
Blackwood has a lot to prove to some of his doubters, who say that he only can play well on bad teams like New Jersey and San Jose. The other one he hears a lot is he is good when he faces a lot of shots. The thing about Blackwood is he will not give up a bad goal. That has been the case since the days he was with the New Jersey Devils.
You have to feel good for a player like Mackenzie Blackwood. It took him some time to find his game. He is being rewarded by a team with the potential to win a Stanley Cup.
The question remains: can he deliver a Stanley Cup for the Avalanche over the next five seasons?
