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Avalanche and Sharks Swap Goalies in Big Trade

The Colorado Avalanche and San Jose Sharks are swapping starting goalies in a sizable move for both teams.

Nick Horwat

Nov 23, 2024; San Jose, California, USA; San Jose Sharks goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood (29) deflects a shot by a Buffalo Sabres player during the third period at SAP Center in San Jose. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-Imagn Images
Nov 23, 2024; San Jose, California, USA; San Jose Sharks goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood (29) deflects a shot by a Buffalo Sabres player during the third period at SAP Center in San Jose. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-Imagn Images / John Hefti-Imagn Images
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The Colorado Avalanche are usually one of the strongest teams in the NHL, but they’ve struggled in one key area of the lineup all season. Goaltending has been a rough spot for the Avalanche in 2024-25 and have made numerous changes to spark something.

Alexandar Georgiev, Justun Annunen, Scott Wedgewood, Kaapo Kahkonen, and Trent Miner have all played between the pipes for the Avalanche this season, but no one has emerged as a long-term solution. According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the Avalanche are adding another goalie to their roster.

Friedman was the first to report that the Avalanche have acquired goalie Mackenzie Blackwood from the San Jose Sharks. Follow-up reports indicated that forward Givani Smith is also on the move from San Jose to Colorado after clearing waivers.

Blackwood has made 19 appearances with the Sharks this season and holds a 6-9-3 record with a .909 save percentage and 3.00 goals against average. The 2024-25 season was his second with the Sharks after starting his NHL career as a member of the New Jersey Devils.

In 152 games with the Devils between 2018 and 2023, Blackwood notched a 65-57-18 record and played a couple of years with Wedgewood.

Friedman later noted that the return for Blackwood was Georgiev, forward Nikolai Kovalenko, and a second-round draft pick.

According to the Avalanche, they are receiving Blackwood, Smith, and a 2027 fifth-round pick in exchange for Georgiev, Kovalenko, a 2026 second-round pick, and a 2025 fifth-round pick.

In 18 games played, Georgiev has put up an 8-7-0 record with a .874 save percentage and 3.38 goals against average. He started the season a miserable 1-5-0 in six appearances.

It was from that point on that the Avalanche knew they needed help between the pipes and have been working hard to find a solution ever since. There is hope in Colorado that Blackwood and Wedgewood can reunite and be a top-tier goalie duo.

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Nick Horwat
NICK HORWAT

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