Mackenzie Blackwood Stabilized the Avalanche Net After Arriving Via Trade

Mackenzie Blackwood is the Avs’ goaltender of the present and future. After the Avalanche acquired him from the San Jose Sharks via trade on December 9th, his birthday, Blackwood made 37 regular-season appearances with Colorado. In those appearances, he started 36 times and posted a 22-12-3 record along with a .913 save percentage, a 2.33 goals-against average and three shutouts.

Blackwood joined Darcy Kuemper (26 wins, three shutouts in 2021-22) as the only goaltenders in franchise history to post at least 22 wins and three shutouts in their first 37 appearances with the team. In his first Stanley Cup Playoffs appearances, Blackwood posted a 2.71 goals-against average along with a shutout.

Combined with his time in San Jose, Blackwood started 53 of the 56 games he played, posting a 28-21-6 record along with .912 save percentage, 2.55 goals-against average and a career-high four shutouts.

From the time he made his Avs debut on December 14th, Blackwood posted 14 regular-season games with a save percentage of at least .930, which was tied for seventh among NHL goalies during that span.

In his introduction to Avs Faithful on that Saturday in mid-December, Blackwood stopped 37 of the 39 shots he faced to help Colorado defeat the Nashville Predators 5-2.

When the Avalanche hosted the defending champion Florida Panthers on January 6th, Blackwood was incredible again, stopping 26 of 27 shots in a 3-1 win.

Blackwood recorded his first shutout in an Avs sweater when he made 19 saves against the St. Louis Blues on January 31st. He followed that up with a 23-save shutout against the Philadelphia Flyers on February 2nd in his next start. His third shutout in the Burgundy and Blue came on March 27th when he made 27 saves in a 4-0 victory versus the Los Angeles Kings.

Entering the 2025-26 season, Blackwood is in the first of a five-year contract and 48 games away from 300.