The San Jose Sharks have traded Mackenzie Blackwood to the Colorado Avalanche alongside Givani Smith and a pick in exchange for Alexandar Georgiev, Nikolai Kovalenko, a 2026 second-round pick, and a 2025 fifth-round pick.
Sharks Trade Blackwood to Colorado
We have traded Alexandar Georgiev and Nikolai Kovalenko to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for Mackenzie Blackwood and Givani Smith. pic.twitter.com/04rknVkWGX
— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) December 9, 2024
The Sharks have shaken up their roster, sending Mackenzie Blackwood to the Avalanche in a package deal that involves Alexander Georgiev.
Blackwood has had a solid season, posting a 2.95 GAA and a 910 Sv%. This is the third-best statistical season of Blackwood’s NHL career, behind his first two years with the New Jersey Devils.
Smith, 26, hasn’t played much with the Sharks this season. In six games, he has only 10 penalty minutes with a +/- of -1. Kovalenko, 25, has scored eight points in 28 games for Colorado this season.
Georgiev hasn’t been phenomenal so far. He has only recorded one season with a save percentage above .900 and only one season with a GAA below 3.
Solidifying Colorado’s Goaltending
To summarize the trade, this is a smart acquisition for Colorado at an interesting price.
Blackwood recently put up a 50-save performance in a loss against the Florida Panthers, one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference.
With Scott Wedgewood having a stellar season and other goaltenders like Justus Annunen not being suitable replacements for Georgiev, the Avs had to make a trade. Blackwood becomes another starting option for the Avalanche and solidifies an area of the team that needs fixing before it becomes too late in the season.
San Jose did the right thing, and sold high on him following a stellar start to the season. Blackwood hit a severe low point after his tenure with the Devils came to an end. Also, his contract that he signed with the Sharks expires at the end of the season. San Jose also has Jaroslav Askarov in the pipeline as the netminder of the future.
MAIN PHOTO: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
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