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

[Jixer19]

I know Blackwood won't stay this good (or maybe he can, one can hope?), but what a breath of fresh air he has been in the net (alongside Wedgewood as well), so thank you Sharks and glad to hear Kovalenko has been doing good and truly hope he excels for you all, was excited when he joined the team and shows promise

 

[PAZ]

Not saying he is a top 5 goaltender, but he has been really good the past 2 seasons.

Looking at sv % while playing behind a historically bad Sharks defense last season is not going to tell you the story of how well he played. The bump he got this year was due to a better (but still bad) surrounding cast. The Sharks are the 3rd worst team in the league this season and yet Blackwood is 9th in Sv % for goalies with a reasonable sample size. Given the frequent defensive lapses that have plagued the Sharks, folks who haven’t watched him play won’t appreciate just how impressive that is.

My initial point was that if Blackwood was consistently that good he'd be a top 5 goaltender, and your response insinuated he was already playing like that but nobody watched him.

SV% doesn't tell the whole story, I agree. But there is value in comparing it to the other goalie he splits starts with and only had a .04% better SV% - which I was hoping to get a better explanation for and you kind of skirted around it.

Just looking to understand why you think he's been more consistent than his numbers have suggested. Would be ecstatic if that's the case because his first few games with the Avs have been phenomenal, but my current expectation is that he won't consistently play like that throughout a full season and he'll have ups and downs.

 

[Mattb124]

My initial point was that if Blackwood was consistently that good he'd be a top 5 goaltender, and your response insinuated he was already playing like that but nobody watched him.

SV% doesn't tell the whole story, I agree. But there is value in comparing it to the other goalie he splits starts with and only had a .04% better SV% - which I was hoping to get a better explanation for and you kind of skirted around it.

Just looking to understand why you think he's been more consistent than his numbers have suggested. Would be ecstatic if that's the case because his first few games with the Avs have been phenomenal, but my current expectation is that he won't consistently play like that throughout a full season and he'll have ups and downs.

Blackwood has played very consistently for the Sharks, but I don’t think most people truly appreciate just how bad the Sharks D was last season. My sense is the two goalies sv% almost approached a “floor” where it couldn’t get much worse.

Blackwood played behind a better but still really bad Sharks team this season and was 9th in sv % among NHL regulars prior to the trade.

Top 5? Maybe not, but being 9th on a bottom feeder puts you in the conversation.

 

[Ncit3]

Blackwood has played very consistently for the Sharks, but I don’t think most people truly appreciate just how bad the Sharks D was last season. My sense is the two goalies sv% almost approached a “floor” where it couldn’t get much worse.

Blackwood played behind a better but still really bad Sharks team this season and was 9th in sv % among NHL regulars prior to the trade.

Top 5? Maybe not, but being 9th on a bottom feeder puts you in the conversation.

Loving what I am seeing so far from him. He's been in position, tracking the puck well, and making expected saves. Something we haven't seen much in the last nearly two seasons. The last goalie to show that kind of consistency in Colorado was Francouz.

 

[Chinaski89]

I know Blackwood won't stay this good (or maybe he can, one can hope?), but what a breath of fresh air he has been in the net (alongside Wedgewood as well), so thank you Sharks and glad to hear Kovalenko has been doing good and truly hope he excels for you all, was excited when he joined the team and shows promise

Blackwood can. The dude was one of very few reasons I tuned into as many Sharks games as I have the past two years. He’s rejuvenated and frankly when he’s on his game is probably a top 5 tender in the league. He will have stretches of poor play, but that’s usually exacerbated by the fact the Sharks defense is absurdly atrocious which the Aves definitely aren’t.

 

[Chinaski89]

Eklund’s been a full time NHLer for like 1.5 seasons. If he’s throwing in the towel on the Sharks situation already, and with the recent and soon to arrive talent, well he’s a hell of a lot less intelligent than I thought.

To be clear, other than the general desire to not loose I’ve seen nothing from Eklund that leads me to believe he’s been nothing but a solid teammate and enthusiastic member of the Sharks org. Frankly, it seems like he loves playing with Granlund, Zetterlund, Celebrini, and Smith. Maybe not being able to put a finger on it just means you’re inventing something to worry about?

Our fellow Sharks fan is definitely in a negative feedback loop. I don’t get that feeling about Eklund at all and agree with what you said about his attitude since the arrival of Celly, Smith, Zetterlund and Granlund.

 

[My3Sons]

Blackwood can. The dude was one of very few reasons I tuned into as many Sharks games as I have the past two years. He’s rejuvenated and frankly when he’s on his game is probably a top 5 tender in the league. He will have stretches of poor play, but that’s usually exacerbated by the fact the Sharks defense is absurdly atrocious which the Aves definitely aren’t.

Blackwood has always been supremely talented and showed stretches of brilliance with NJ. His problems have been staying healthy and staying out of his own head. The health part seems to be worked out. It's good to see he's in a good frame of mind right now. If Colorado manages him properly they will somehow convince him the team only needs steady basic play from him and do not need him to the win the games for him. Keep the pressure on him to a minimum.

 

[Mitchgou]

I know Blackwood won't stay this good (or maybe he can, one can hope?), but what a breath of fresh air he has been in the net (alongside Wedgewood as well), so thank you Sharks and glad to hear Kovalenko has been doing good and truly hope he excels for you all, was excited when he joined the team and shows promise