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Greg Wyshynski, ESPN
The Colorado Avalanche needed only four games to commit long term to goalie Mackenzie Blackwood.
The Avalanche announced Friday that they had signed Blackwood to a five-year contract extension that runs through the 2029-30 season. The contract carries an average annual value of $5.25 million against the salary cap, a source told ESPN. Blackwood is in the final season of a two-year contract worth $2.35 million against the cap.
Blackwood, 28, was acquired from San Jose on Dec. 9 in a multiplayer trade that saw Alexandar Georgiev, Colorado’s previous starting goalie, and forward Nikolai Kovalenko, 25, sent to the Sharks.
Blackwood is 3-1-0 in four starts for the Avalanche with a .931 save percentage and a 2.03 goals-against average. He is 84-92-25 in 219 career games over seven seasons with the New Jersey Devils, Sharks and Avalanche.
“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,” Avalanche general manager Chris MacFarland said in a statement. “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.”
Colorado has dramatically reshaped its goaltending depth this season. The Avalanche started with a tandem of Georgiev and Justus Annunen before trading Georgiev to acquire Blackwood and dealing Annunen to the Nashville Predators for goalie Scott Wedgewood.
The Avalanche (21-15-0) are third in the Central Division.