DENVER — Goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood received a notable birthday gift on his 28th birthday: a trade to the Colorado Avalanche, accompanied by some straightforward advice from general manager Chris MacFarland. “Just stop the puck,” MacFarland advised Blackwood, emphasizing the primary expectation for his new role.
Despite the simplicity of this directive, Colorado’s current goaltending challenges led them to exchange netminders with the San Jose Sharks, trading the underperforming Alexandar Georgiev for Blackwood. In addition to Blackwood, the Avalanche also acquired forward Givani Smith and a fifth-round draft pick from San Jose, which is scheduled for the 2027 draft. Meanwhile, the Sharks obtained forward Nikolai Kovalenko and two draft picks: a fifth-round pick in 2025 and a second-round pick in 2026.
As part of the trade, the Avalanche will retain 14% of Georgiev’s contract, amounting to approximately $476,000. This deal comes at a time when Georgiev is in the final season of a three-year, $10.2 million contract. “We paid a steep price,” MacFarland noted during a Zoom call, explaining that the urgency to address the goaltending situation prompted him to act quickly. “We just felt this made a lot of sense for us right now.”
This significant move follows Colorado’s earlier decision on November 30 to trade backup Justus Annunen to Nashville in exchange for Scott Wedgewood. This year, the Avalanche have struggled defensively, allowing an average of 3.55 goals per game, prompting the need for a more effective goaltending approach. Georgiev has had a rocky start to the season, amassing an 8-7 record with a 3.38 goals-against average and a save percentage of .874, which has at times put him in a backup position.
“We felt we needed an upgrade a few weeks ago and started kicking the tires,” MacFarland commented on the search for a new goaltender. “But it’s not easy to make goaltending trades. Teams don’t trade starting goaltenders in this league easily.” He acknowledged the difficulty of negotiating such trades, especially two in quick succession. Georgiev previously joined the Avalanche from the New York Rangers on July 7, 2022, where he was an All-Star last season, leading the league with 38 wins and finishing with an overall record of 86-41-11 in his time with the team.
Blackwood’s initial performances this season have also been less than stellar, with an 0-2-2 record. However, he has shown improvement lately, achieving a 2.72 goals-against average and a .916 save percentage over his last 14 games. He celebrated his 200th game on October 22, during which he stopped 37 out of 39 shots despite a loss to Anaheim.
