Confirmed Trade: [COL/SJS] Mackenzie Blackwood, Givani Smith, 2027 5th for Alexandar Georgiev (14% ret.), Nikolai Kovalenko, 2026 2nd, cond. 2025 4th

[Jargon]

For what it's worth, Avs fans, Blackwood has been really great this year and has had some absolutely gorgeous saves. The only thing with him is that he's a volume goalie that performs 1000x better when there's a lot of shots. Luckily, the Sharks defense is very bad and so, it really played to his strength.

I'm sure Blackwood had no interest in re-signing with the Sharks after this year, particularly with Askarov waiting in the wings, so the fact that Grier turned a 6th round pick into a 2nd and a young NHL player with some upside is a very neat piece of business for Grier, who continues to have a real nice streak going as a GM.

 

[ManofSteel55]

But they bailed out Colorado from their goalie problem and gave up a 5th. They basically did the Avs a huge favor here.

You do realize that it's Mackenzie Blackwood we're talking about here, right?

 

[CupofOil]

By taking on a sieve contract dump

Yeah but they got a 2nd and Kovalenko out of it. That's not nothing and there's a very real chance this doesn't solve the Avs goalie woes because Blackwood hasn't had a good season, before this season, since before Covid, plus the injuries. Worth a swing I guess but he's just as much a question mark as the goalie they sent out.

Grier turned a 6th into a 2nd and Kovalenko, that's a nice piece of business by him.

 

[coooldude]

You do realize that it's Mackenzie Blackwood we're talking about here, right?

Blackwood is 15th in GSAx and 9th in GSAA according to Evolving Hockey. The trade is a bet that the real Blackie is the pre-COVID and now Sharks Blackie and not the inconsistent NJD Covid-era goalie.

 

[Monsieur Miz]

A jobber + a 2nd/5th round pick to upgrade your goalie situation is definitively a win in my book.

 

[Patty Ice]

I’ve heard that Georgiev is Moldovan whose maternal grandfather is from Macedonia. Can anyone confirm?

I heard he's Wallachian and descended from the line of Vlad III.

 

[hohosaregood]

So what was the point of trading Annunen for Wedgewood? Did they decide that Annunen didn't have an NHL future?

 

[ManofSteel55]

I don't think anyone is topping that Lottery Dynasty.

Lots of teams already have in terms of how bad the teams were, just not in lottery luck. Remember, if the NHL didn't decide to monkey with draft lottery odds, the Oilers only would have had two 1st overall picks - Taylor Hall and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. Getting McDavid was all lottery luck.

 

[Empoleon8771]

I know Georgiyev sucks but Blackwood isn't that much of an upgrade on him. Trading a 2nd and Kovalenko to get a not great platoon goalie doesn't seem worth it.

 

[Fantast100]

A jobber + a 2nd/5th round pick to upgrade your goalie situation is definitively a win in my book.

Georgiev has underperformed in Colorado. Now Blackwood will do good in Colorado.

 

[JKG33]

So what was the point of trading Annunen for Wedgewood? Did they decide that Annunen didn't have an NHL future?

For a cup contender, having a competent backup is better than a prospect

 

[coooldude]

I know Georgiyev sucks but Blackwood isn't that much of an upgrade on him. Trading a 2nd and Kovalenko to get a not great platoon goalie doesn't seem worth it.

well akshually...

Blackwood is 15th in GSAx and 9th in GSAA according to Evolving Hockey. The trade is a bet that the real Blackie is the pre-COVID and now Sharks Blackie and not the inconsistent NJD Covid-era goalie.

 

[ManofSteel55]

Blackwood is 15th in GSAx and 9th in GSAA according to Evolving Hockey. The trade is a bet that the real Blackie is the pre-COVID and now Sharks Blackie and not the inconsistent NJD Covid-era goalie.

This doesn't change the fact that the guy I was quoting seems to believe that Blackwood should have gone for more than this package, which is ludicrous.

 

[WarriorOfGandhi]

Georgiev has underperformed in Colorado. Now Blackwood will do good in Colorado.

 

[Cypher]

Avs really saw Blackwood/Wedgewood in NJ and said yup, I want that goalie duo that gave up the 3rd most goals in 2019/2020 and 4th most goals in 2020/2021.

 

[JoeSakic13]

Stud? He's 25. How much more development should we expect? Seems like a fine bottom 6 piece and not much else.

I think once he’s fully adapted to the NA game he could have been a top 6 on the Avs. So honestly, with proper development, I could see him filling that role in SJ.

 

[Shane Diesel]

Kuemper is mid. He was a backup in Minny, had a great half year as an injury replacement in LA, was decent in Arizona, had one of the worst playoff runs for a cup winning goalie ever (no, one good regular season behind a great team doesn't negate that), and was traded in a salary dump for salary dump trade from Washington back to LA.

He was quite good in Arizona playing on a mediocre team. More posts from ignorance.

19/20: 6th in GSAx
20/21: 33rd in GSAx
21/22: 5th in GSAx


Not to mention he had the third highest SV% in the whole NHL the collective three seasons before he was acquired.

NHL Stats

The official source for NHL Stats including skaters, goalies, teams stats and more.

www.nhl.com

Then had a top five season in the most important statistical areas for a goaltender for the Avs.

It's fun making things up, too bad there are free resources out there to confirm/deny your statements.

Colorado has won a lot of games with mid (at best) goalies in Grubauer, Kuemper, and Georgiev. Blackwood is much better than all of them

Based on what? Your gut? Because we've seen how little you know about the things you claim.

Just because Kuemper was good in the regular season means very liottle in the playoffs. Kuemper was not that good in the playoffs.

And a string of 20 games, while suffering an eye injury, doesn't undue the four years prior of being a top goalie. But if 20 games is your sample size I can make any player in the league look like a scrub.

 

[Internazionale]

I feel bad for Sharks fans. Why trade away a goalie that is playing well and starting to build a winning athmosphere for a 2nd round pick and a mid type prospect.

We're still in a rebuild. Would like 1 more top 10 pick next year. Dumping Blackwood for this haul makes too much sense.

 

[Skeksis25]

I feel bad for Sharks fans. Why trade away a goalie that is playing well and starting to build a winning athmosphere for a 2nd round pick and a mid type prospect.

Doubt you will find too many Sharks fans who will feel bad about this.

 

[thethirdhockeyman91]

The wood bros reunited

 

[benfranklin]

Moneypuck tells me Blackwood is a massive upgrade to Georgiev and that was in front of a garbage Sharks team and Celebrini. Now he has a real team, so hope is back.

 

[JKG33]

He was quite good in Arizona playing on a mediocre team. More posts from ignorance.

19/20: 6th in GSAx
20/21: 33rd in GSAx
21/22: 5th in GSAx


Not to mention he had the third highest SV% in the whole NHL the collective three seasons before he was acquired.

NHL Stats

The official source for NHL Stats including skaters, goalies, teams stats and more.

www.nhl.com

Then had a top five season in the most important statistical areas for goaltender for the Avs.

It's fun making things up, too bad there are free resources out there to confirm/deny your statements.


Based on what? Your gut? Because we've seen how little you know about the things you claim.

And a string of 20 games, while suffering an eye injury, doesn't undue the four years prior of being a top goalie. But if 20 games is your sample size I can make any player in the league look like a scrub.

If Kuemper was so great why did the Avs get rid of him? Surely you'd want to keep a cup winning goalie instead of continuing a rotating cast of other teams backups? Why did Washington trade him in a salary dump for salary dump trade?

By all means keep yapping about how you think I'm wrong, but all the made up fancy stats you can pull outta your ass don't negate the facts above.

 

[ChicagoBlues]

Shark Tank in effect. Grier built the team a little too well as evidenced by a much lower GA rate.

Apparently, he wants another top-5 pick.

 

[TheBeard]

This doesn't change the fact that the guy I was quoting seems to believe that Blackwood should have gone for more than this package, which is ludicrous.

Honestly, if this would have been closer to the TDL where there would have been 3 or 4 teams desperate for an upgrade Blackwood may have gotten a first.

 

[Goptor]

His main problem in NJ was he constantly got injured and played injured. He was solid but completely unreliable.