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Avalanche Sign Newest Goaltender Addition to Five-year, $26.25M Contract Extension

bailey curtis
·2 min read

Goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood, who was traded to the Colorado Avalanche on December 9th, signed a 5-year contract extension with his new team on Friday. This contract, worth $26.25M ($5.25M AAV) will keep him in Colorado through the 2029-2030 season.

Blackwood was part of a trade that sent goaltender Alexandar Georgiev and forward Nikolai Kovalenko to the San Jose Sharks. In 18 games played with the Sharks, Blackwood posted a record of 6-8-3, a SV% of .907, and a GAA of 3.00. Since then, he's played four games with his new club and has recorded a record of 3-1-0, a .931 SV%, and a GAA of 2.03.

The 28-year-old netminder has emerged as the main starter for the Avalanche, having started 4 out of 7 games played by the team since he was traded.

"The Lumber Yard," as the Avalanche broadcast crew has accurately dubbed the crease, is also held down by Scott Wedgewood, who has played six games with the club since his trade on November 30th. With a 4-2-0 record with the team, he holds a .932 SV% and a 1.93 GAA.

Chris MacFarland, GM of the Avalanche seems really excited with the move after declining comment on extension talks during Blackwood's trade press conference on zoom:

"When we acquired Mackenzie a few weeks ago, we wanted to let him get to Denver, get acclimated to his new team, new city and then in due time we’d reach out to him and his representatives. We are thrilled to get this deal done now and have Mackenzie under contract for the next six years. As I said when we acquired him, we feel like Mackenzie has just gotten better and better every year and he has come in and done a great job with us in his first few starts. He's a big body, athletic goaltender who is still young and still growing as a goaltender. Stylistically, he has fit really well with how we play and has been a perfect fit in our dressing room as well."

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