A number of NHL groups had curiosity in Mackenzie Blackwood, notably after the 6-foot-4 goalie made 51 saves within the San Jose Sharks’ 3-1 loss to the Florida Panthers over the weekend.
That’s what a supply confirmed Tuesday, sooner or later after the Sharks traded Blackwood, ahead Givani Smith, and a 2027 fifth-round draft choose to the Colorado Avalanche for 2 NHL gamers and two draft picks.
Sharks tv analyst Drew Remenda talked about Tuesday morning on the staff’s “Morning Skate” podcast that “there was more than one team looking for help in net and looking for a guy like Mackenzie: 6-foot-4, 235 pounds, moves like he does, unreal flexibility.
“And after the 50-save performance against the Stanley Cup champions, there were some teams calling. I know for a fact there were four teams that were interested in talking about Mackenzie.”
It’s not clear who these groups have been, however there’s little query that Blackwood was going to attract curiosity, contemplating the numbers he had amassed this season with the still-rebuilding Sharks.
After his efficiency Saturday in opposition to the Panthers, Blackwood had a 6-9-3 document and a .911 save share in 19 video games. Among the many 50 NHL goalies who performed not less than 10 video games this season, Blackwood, per Cash Puck, ranked nineteenth in objectives saved above anticipated per 60 minutes.
Blackwood’s cap hit was additionally a cost-effective $2.35 million, making him a sexy participant for many contenders needing a goalie. He’s within the remaining 12 months of a two-year, $4.7 contract he signed with the Sharks on July 1, 2023 — 4 days after he was acquired from the New Jersey Devils — and is a pending unrestricted free agent.
Sharks common supervisor Mike Grier stated Monday that he wasn’t seeking to deal Blackwood proper now, not with three months left earlier than the NHL commerce deadline. However he felt Colorado’s supply of a second-round choose in 2026, a conditional fifth-rounder in 2025, ahead Nikolai Kovalenko, and goalie Alexandar Georgiev was too good to move up.
The widespread curiosity doubtless helped Grier get the return he was in search of in a Blackwood deal.
“I know it’ll be tough for our group,” Grier stated. “I think our group really likes (Blackwood) and enjoys playing in front of him, but it’s kind of still in the stages of where we are. We look back historically on returns for goalies in-season, and there are only two guys that have ever gotten a second-round pick, and both of them were coming off excellent seasons, I believe, in (Marc-Andre) Fleury and Robin Lehner.”
In March 2022, the Chicago Blackhawks traded Fleury to the Minnesota Wild for a 2022 second-round draft choose. In Feb. 2020, the Blackhawks traded Lehner to the Vegas Golden Knights for a 2020 second-round draft choose, Stanislav Demin, and Malcolm Subban.
“So it was a return we thought we couldn’t pass up,” Grier stated. “It’s probably a little earlier than I would have envisioned doing it, but it’s a good return of two draft picks as we continue to build.”
Whereas Georgiev has struggled with consistency for the reason that begin of final season and is a pending UFA, Grier feels Kovalenko matches in with the Sharks’ desired identification of being a tougher, in-your-face staff to play in opposition to. The 5-10 and 180-pound winger performs on the within and is “built like a refrigerator.”
“We really like the Kovalenko kid. We had talked about him with Colorado last year,” Grier stated. “He’s going to come in and play for us right away, give us something a little bit different than what we have as a competitive, north-south player. He’s someone we’re hoping we can grow with.”
The Sharks are 2-2-0 on this street journey and 10-15-5 going into Tuesday’s recreation with the Hurricanes, as they sat in 14th place within the Western Convention by way of factors share (.417). They have been seven factors again of the Avalanche for the second and remaining wild-card spot within the West.
Two days earlier than their loss to Florida, the Sharks have been hammered 8-1 by the Tampa Bay Lightning.
“It’s a tough day for me. I’m sure it’s a tough day for the group, the coaches, everyone,” Grier stated. “Blackie’s meant a lot to us. But as you’ve seen these last couple of games, as much as things are better and we’re improving, you guys all see how far we really are away from what the championship standard is in this league, and that’s what we’re trying to get to.
“It’s my job to look at the present but keep an eye on the future as well. So we’ve got to keep building. I wish Blackie nothing but the best. It’s a good team, a good situation. He’s going to have a chance to win, which will be important for his career going forward.”
Initially Revealed: December 10, 2024 at 2:06 PM PST
