Goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood quickly established himself as the Colorado Avalanche’s starting goalie for both the present and the future after signing a five-year, $ 26.25 million contract extension on Friday.
The Avalanche announced the deal, and a source with direct knowledge confirmed the contract’s value to The Associated Press, speaking on the condition of anonymity since the team did not disclose specific figures; Sportsnet.ca was the first to report on it.
This new contract will extend through the 2029-30 season, reinforcing that the Avalanche made a solid decision when they acquired Blackwood from San Jose on December 9. Since the trade, Blackwood has achieved a 3-1 record with a 2.03 goals-against average and a .931 save percentage.
“When we acquired Mackenzie a few weeks ago, our goal was to allow him to settle in Denver, adjust to his new team and city, and then we would reach out to him and his representatives at the right time,” said general manager Chris MacFarland in a team statement.
“As I mentioned when we brought him in, we believe Mackenzie has improved each year, and he has performed exceptionally well for us in his first few starts. He’s a large, athletic goaltender who is still young and developing.”
Blackwood made a remarkable debut with the Avalanche, stopping 37 shots in a 5-2 victory over Nashville, becoming just the fourth NHL goalie to make that many saves in his first game with a new team. He has not allowed more than two goals in any of his four starts with Colorado, improving his season record to 9-10-3.
Blackwood is currently in the final year of a two-year contract and is now on his third NHL team after spending his first five seasons with New Jersey. The Devils chose him in the second round of the 2015 draft, making him the second goalie selected that year.
Throughout his career, Blackwood holds a record of 84-92-25, with 11 shutouts and a 3.05 goals-against average over 219 games.
The Avalanche have restructured their goaltending lineup, recently acquiring Scott Wedgewood in a trade with Nashville on November 30.
These two new goalies have provided stability to the team, which was allowing an average of 3.71 goals per game in the first 24 games of the season with Alexandar Georgiev and rookie Justus Annunen in goal.
Georgiev was traded to San Jose along with a 2026 second-round pick and rookie forward Nikolai Kovalenko to bring in Blackwood, while Annunen was included in the trade with Nashville.
The Avalanche (21-15), who are set to play at Utah on Friday, have compiled an 8-3 record in December, allowing an average of only 2.45 goals per game. They have climbed from ninth to sixth place in the Western Conference standings.
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