Colorado Avalanche lock up G Mackenzie Blackwood with five-year extension

The Colorado Avalanche have signed goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood to a five-year contract extension, the team announced on Friday.

Colorado acquired Blackwood, forward Givani Smith and a draft pick in a deal with the San Jose Sharks on Dec. 9. The Avs made their move quickly to secure him long-term.

San Jose received goaltender Alexandar Georgiev, forward Nikolai Kovalenko and a pair of draft picks in the deal.

“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.”

Blackwood, 28, has been stellar since joining Colorado, posting a 2.03 goals-against average and a 0.931 save percentage in four games with the Avalanche. He played 19 games with the Sharks before the trade, and has a 9-10-3 record on the season in 23 starts combined for both teams with a 2.83 GAA and 0.913 save percentage.

“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.”

Blackwood was scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.

San Jose acquired Blackwood from the New Jersey Devils in 2023 in exchange for a draft pick.

Drafted 42nd overall by the Devils in 2015, Blackwood has a career 84-92-25 record with a 3.05 GAA and .905 save percentage split between the Devils, Sharks and Avalanche.

The Thunder Bay, Ont., native represented Canada at the 2019 World Championship, taking home a silver medal.