The Colorado Avalanche were in the giving spirit this holiday season, doling out a 5 year, $26.25M contract extension after acquiring him in a trade earlier this month.
The new deal will pay Blackwood an AAV of $5.25M per season, and keep him in the Mile High City for the next half decade.
“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,” Avs general manager Chris MacFarland said in a release. “We are thrilled to get this deal done now and have Mackenzie under contract for the next six years.”
Since joining the Avalanche, the 28 year old has posted a 3-1 record, with a 2.03 GAA and .931 SV %. Originally drafted in the 2nd round (42nd overall) by the New Jersey Devils back in 2015, Blackwood has had an up and down NHL career thus far.
However, with all-world players like Cale Makar and Nathan MacKinnon playing in front of him, Colorado’s front office is banking on the Thunder Bay, ON native reaching his full potential with a change of scenery. The Avs entered the 2024-25 campaign with championship aspirations, but were held back by below average performances between the pipes.
In his limited sample size with his new teammates so far, Blackwood has impressed. “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,” MacFarland added.
“He’s a big body, athletic goaltender who is still young and still growing. Stylistically, he has fit really well with how we play and has been a perfect fit in our dressing room as well.”
With the holiday break now over, Colorado returns to the ice on Friday to take on Utah in a 9:30pm ET showdown.
Photo: TheAHL. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.