The Colorado Avalanche and San Jose Sharks have made a commerce. Colorado is buying Sharks goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood together with Givani Smith, and a 2025 fifth-round choose for Alexandar Georgiev, Nikolai Kovalenko, and a 2026 second-round choose, and a 2025 fifth-round choose. The Avalanche are additionally retaining 14 p.c of Georgiev’s wage within the commerce.
We’ve got traded Alexandar Georgiev and Nikolai Kovalenko to the San Jose Sharks in alternate for Mackenzie Blackwood and Givani Smith. pic.twitter.com/04rknVkWGX
— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) December 9, 2024
This had been a protracted awaited rumor between the Sharks and the Avalanche. Early within the season when the Avalanche goalies had been struggling, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet by way of NHLRumors.com had speculated the Avalanche wished to improve their goaltending and Blackwood was their prime goal.
Mackenzie Blackwood has been traded from the San Jose Sharks to the Colorado Avalanche in accordance with @Sheng_Peng. Colorado clearly remains to be searching for a (good) goalie. pic.twitter.com/ThQpGW5clv
— Rono (@RonoAnalyst) December 9, 2024
Blackwood has proven his capability to be an excellent goalie within the league, however he has been on dangerous groups and that pattern continued with the Sharks.
Mackenzie Blackwood traded to #GoAvsGo
He’s having a robust yr on a foul workforce. His fantasy potential is excessive if he can proceed taking part in at this degree on a workforce that may rating loads of targets.https://t.co/O9VagiCfcZ pic.twitter.com/XHRZ7SCTIQ
— Frozen Instruments (@FrozenTools) December 9, 2024
With the commerce turning into a actuality, many surprise if can he translate these numbers to a contender. Lately the Avalanche traded for goaltender Scott Wedgewood from the Nashville Predators fro Justus Annunen. Wedgewood simply shutout his former membership the New Jersey Devils on Sunday evening.
NHL Rumors: Colorado Avalanche Need To Improve Their Goaltending
Like Blackwood, Georgiev is an unrestricted free agent on the finish of the season. Colorado is making an attempt to contend for a Stanley Cup and the way in which Georgiev began the season, there was a have to improve. Nevertheless, Georgiev had been turning it round just lately, and so had the Avalanche protection in entrance of him, however GM Chris MacFarland felt a necessity was needed.
2024-25 Stats:
Alexander Georgiev: 8-7-0 | 3.38GAA | .874 SV%
Mackenzie Blackwood: 6-9-3 | 3.00GAA | .911 SV%Giving the Avs a .911 goalie is such an enormous increase. Let’s not overlook that half #GoAvsGo
— Drew Livingstone (@ProducerDrew_) December 9, 2024
Regardless that Georgiev posted probably the most wins a few seasons in the past with 38, he has not made the well timed save, the Avalanche thought he would once they acquired him from the New York Rangers after profitable the Stanley Cup in 2022.
NHL Rumors: The Colorado Avalanche could also be falling brief in web
Now the Avalanche hope that Blackwood together with Wedgewood will be the duo that brings that again to the Stanley Cup. As well as, the Avalanche might want to proceed to play that “impartial zone lure” to win video games to guard him.
