Confirmed Signing with Link: [COL] G Mackenzie Blackwood signs extension with the Avalanche (5 years, $5.25M AAV)

[Jozay]

Nothing about this contract was necessary at this point in time

 

[I am not exposed]

I would like to be a barely competent goaltender in the NHL these days. You get good money/contracts for being meh.

 

[Freudian]

Avs like to lock up goalies quickly after acquiring them.

They did it with Grubauer and Georgiev as well.

 

[Muffin]

The AAV isn't THAT bad but that's quite a commitment for a goalie that hadn't had above a .902 save pct. since last decade until the small sample size of this season. Could pay off though if he's merely an average starter over the next 5 years but that's a big if considering his recent history.


Based on?

Skinner is literally one of the worst starter in the league, it doesn't take a lot to be better than him. I thought an Oilers fan who know that watching him blow games every night? And this is after he's had a few good games, he was further down the list earlier in the year.

 

[PAZ]

My stance is more that you just shouldn't be signing goalies like Blackwood to these kind of deals, you should be trading assets to bring in what Blackwood was when San Jose acquired him. These kind of goalies are so volatile that they'll regularly go through cold spells and hot spells, buying high when he's having a hot spell is how you get stuck with these kind of Jarry/Merzlikins/Campbell types of contracts.

I agree, but what other options are there?

If the Avs don't sign Blackwood to this contract another team would when he hits UFA and they'll be stuck looking for another starter. There's simply a lack of goaltending talent in the league and agents/goalies are taking advantage of it.

 

[Romang67]

Literally every stats imaginable? Blackwood has better SV% and goals saved above expected and he played in San Jose.

This season.

Last season they had roughly equal GSAx and Skinner had the better save percentage. The year before, Skinner was ahead on both counts.

If all we're looking at is this season, then yes, this contract looks good and Blackwood is a good starter.

 

[GKJ]

How about a big yikes

 

[a mangy Meowth]

He gave them 4 good games so they're paying him already

This team as constructed cannot afford to wait for him to prove that he's good enough for a 5 mil contract, which really isn't that much these days. If he has a great season it probably ends up meaning an additional million or even more per year on the deal.

 

[qc14]

Jack Campbell 2.0

 

[matt trick]

Sharks fan, this doesn’t make sense for us with Askarov, but he’ll be worth every penny and then some in Colorado. Worst case scenario, Blackwood somehow completely falls apart and becomes the second coming of Georgiev (except, while being an excellent teammate) and Avs decide it’s untenable. They proceed to buy him out this summer at what $1.7M. That’s your worst case scenario 2% of the cap wasted. Who the f*** cares.

You know what’s a lot more likely than that? Blackwood continues to be a .925 goalie in Colorado (earning Vezina consideration), helps a team with two Hart candidates and Rantanen to win a Cup and now it’s awfully hard to not get him below Ullmark dollars. I don’t blame the 2/3rds of people in this thread who haven’t watched the sharks, but the lack of cap knowledge is astounding.

Blackwood was NHL caliber last year behind perhaps the worst defense iced in the cap era, and was top 15 in starters this year on another terrible but at least NHL caliber team.

Avs fans will love this deal- at least the first four years of it- years in which they’ll be a top contender.

Goalies that id rather have: Shesterkin, Helleybuck, Sorokin, Saros, Vasi and Oettinger. You can make strong arguments for Ullmark, Swayman, Gustavsson, Bob, and Demko. Half those guys are older than him too.

Over the next 6 playoffs the Avs will have a top 15 goalie and winger and top 3 center and dman. That’s all they need to be a betting favorite for the next half decade.

 

[CupofOil]

Skinner is literally one of the worst starter in the league, it doesn't take a lot to be better than him. I thought an Oilers fan who know that watching him blow games every night? And this is after he's had a few good games, he was further down the list earlier in the year.

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Well, Skinner had a .905, .913 and .913 save pct. the previous 3 seasons (much bigger sample size) while Blackwood, well.... Skinner has also been much better the last 10 games or so after a putrid start
Blackwood was on much worse teams the last 3 seasons but still

I'll admit that Blackwood is the more naturally talented goalie but he hasn't put up good numbers in a while and has been oft injured so until he proves to be better, he's not.

 

[DKH]

we sure it’s not $2.55 M

 

[McDuffz88]

Sharks fan, this doesn’t make sense for us with Askarov, but he’ll be worth every penny and then some in Colorado. Worst case scenario, Blackwood somehow completely falls apart and becomes the second coming of Georgiev (except, while being an excellent teammate) and Avs decide it’s untenable. They proceed to buy him out this summer at what $1.7M. That’s your worst case scenario 2% of the cap wasted. Who the f*** cares.

You know what’s a lot more likely than that? Blackwood continues to be a .925 goalie in Colorado (earning Vezina consideration), helps a team with two Hart candidates and Rantanen to win a Cup and now it’s awfully hard to not get him below Ullmark dollars. I don’t blame the 2/3rds of people in this thread who haven’t watched the sharks, but the lack of cap knowledge is astounding.

Blackwood was NHL caliber last year behind perhaps the worst defense iced in the cap era, and was top 15 in starters this year on another terrible but at least NHL caliber team.

Avs fans will love this deal- at least the first four years of it- years in which they’ll be a top contender.

Goalies that id rather have: Shesterkin, Helleybuck, Sorokin, Saros, Vasi and Oettinger. You can make strong arguments for Ullmark, Swayman, Gustavsson, Bob, and Demko. Half those guys are older than him too.

Over the next 6 playoffs the Avs will have a top 15 goalie and winger and top 3 center and dman. That’s all they need to be a betting favorite for the next half decade.

Blackwood can look good but he's mentally frail. He doesn't handle pressure good at all and once he gets in his own head he becomes Mr. Softy. He would convince us devil fans he was great by going on good stretches but again once he was mentally challenged he collapsed. Hopefully he got over that issue but if he hasn't I can see him crumbling during the playoffs which is when it matters most.

 

[Poppy Whoa Sonnet]

I don’t get the rush on this contract. Or why they felt the need to give him 5 years?

They are afraid of him finishing the year strong and asking for more AAV / term. Blackwood is similarly afraid of erratic play killing his leverage in the offseason. He basically got what Jarry got a 1.5 years ago, so it's "below market" based on cap inflation and the fact that goaltending AAV is going up independently based on some of the contracts signed last offseason.

 

[FissionFire]

Avs like to lock up goalies quickly after acquiring them.

They did it with Grubauer and Georgiev as well.

You’d think they’d have learned to stop doing that after those contracts.

 

[Vipers31]

The sample size might be small, but he's leaving a first impression that hasn't been matched by an Avs netminder since Georgiev's first month or so!

 

[matt trick]

Blackwood can look good but he's mentally frail. He doesn't handle pressure good at all and once he gets in his own head he becomes Mr. Softy. He would convince us devil fans he was great by going on good stretches but again once he was mentally challenged he collapsed. Hopefully he got over that issue but if he hasn't I can see him crumbling during the playoffs which is when it matters most.

That history is there at 24-26 years old. Coup be cause for concern. However, SJs defense could break the spirits of any goalie and yet he’s been SJs best player (other than Celebrini) and a huge positive in what could have been a terrible room- for two years. Maybe Granlund, but I’d go Mackenzie.

Goalie is hard, I don’t see Mackenzie anymore likely to be frail than any goalie who outside the top 5-8 it’s in the world.

Look at Adin hills jump from SJ to Vegas. In my opinion, Blackwood was worlds better on equally bad sharks teams.

 

[avsfan9]

Wow. Not a big fan of this. They must really believe.

I’ve seen 4 games and I believe… doesn’t take much when your previous goalie routinely gives up a goal on first 3 shots of the game and you have to play the whole game from behind and have to score at least 5 goals a game to win.

 

[Some Other Flame]

NHL GM's are pretty bad

 

[Fjordy]

It wasn't just brave, it was f***ing brave.

 

[Reality Czech]

5M is literally just average starter money now. There's zero chance any goalie who's been a starter in this league signs for less than 5M.

And an average starter is what they got.

 

[Puckstop40]

Avs should relocate back to Quebec for this madness.

 

[JoeSakic13]

This is a hilariously awful deal and I'm so glad it was the avs who made it.

As long as it doesn’t turn out as bad as the Binnington deal they’ll be fine.

 

[Peter Griffin]

Why throw this contract at Blackwood without even earning it? Did they not learn anything from how Georgiev’s contract turned out?

 

[Kcoyote3]

People do not watch the Sharks it seems.