Goalie Mackenzie Blackwood has quickly proven himself as the cornerstone starter for the Colorado Avalanche following his recent five-year contract extension worth $26.25 million that was announced on Friday.

The Avalanche verified the contract details, with sources familiar with the agreement confirming the figure while remaining anonymous as the team had not disclosed it originally. This new contract will keep Blackwood with the team until the end of the 2029-30 season, further solidifying his role after being traded from San Jose on December 9. Since joining the Avalanche, Blackwood has achieved a commendable 3-1 record, boasting a goals-against average of 2.03 and a save percentage of .931.

General Manager Chris MacFarland commented on the acquisition, stating the team’s intention was to allow Blackwood time to adjust to his new environment before approaching him with an extension. He emphasized the belief in Blackwood’s increasing performance year after year and noted his impressive debut for Colorado. MacFarland described Blackwood as a tall, athletic goaltender who is still in the process of development in his career.

In his first appearance with the Avalanche, Blackwood achieved remarkable success, making 37 saves in a 5-2 victory against Nashville, becoming only the fourth goalie in NHL history to achieve that many saves in his initial game with a franchise. Throughout his four starts since joining the team, he has consistently kept goals allowed to two or fewer, improving his overall season record to 9-10-3.

Blackwood is currently in the second year of a two-year deal and is now with his third NHL team, following a five-year tenure with the New Jersey Devils, who selected him as a second-round pick in the 2015 draft.

His overall career statistics stand at 84 wins, 92 losses, and 25 overtime losses over 219 games played, along with 11 shutouts and a goals-against average of 3.05.

The Avalanche also revamped their goaltending lineup through the acquisition of Scott Wedgewood from Nashville in a trade during late November. Together, these new additions have brought a sense of stability to the Avalanche’s net after the team began the season allowing an alarming average of 3.71 goals per game with their previous goalies, Alexandar Georgiev and rookie Justus Annunen.

As part of the deal to bring in Blackwood, Georgiev was sent to San Jose alongside a second-round pick for 2026 and forward Nikolai Kovalenko. Annunen was involved in another transaction with Nashville.

Now standing at 21-15, the Avalanche are set to face Utah on Friday. In December, the team’s performance has notably improved, winning 8 out of 11 games and reducing their goals allowed per game to an average of 2.45, which has propelled them from ninth to sixth place in the Western Conference rankings.