The San Jose Sharks acquired goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood last summer, hoping he would solidify the position alongside Kaapo Kahkonen. Before Kahkonen was traded at the trade deadline, goaltending was undoubtedly one of the Sharks’ strengths despite allowing quite a few goals. Most nights, their goaltending kept them in the game, even when they were giving up 40+ shots.
Now, Blackwood is entering the final year of his contract, and general manager Mike Grier must make a decision. Should he trade Blackwood this summer or try to extend the 27-year-old netminder? There’s no clear answer, as the Sharks don’t seem ready to contend any time soon, but given the rumors surrounding the organization, specifically regarding Leon Draisaitl, things could change very quickly.
On the other hand, Blackwood could easily be moved for a profit. Grier brought him into the mix for a sixth-round pick, and although his numbers don’t reflect it, he played phenomenally for the most part. Teams looking to add at the trade deadline usually have solid goaltending, and if not, they’re not willing to pay a fortune since they’ll likely need to add other pieces as well. As a result, if a Blackwood trade is coming, it may make sense to rip off that bandage now rather than in the middle of the season.
The Pros of Keeping Blackwood
However, when the Sharks are in a position to win, Blackwood could be the goaltender who leads them to success. Although he’s struggled at times in his career, the talent is there, and if he can be more consistent, he could become a key part of the organization. At one point last season, (now former) head coach David Quinn called Blackwood an elite goaltender. Although that’s a bit of a stretch, it’s hard to say he wouldn’t be in the right situation.
Also, Blackwood doesn’t have a clear successor in the organization. A few players could grow into NHL-caliber goaltenders, namely Magnus Chrona and Georgi Romanov, but they’re far from top prospects.
It would also be interesting to see the battery of Blackwood and Vitek Vanecek once again, as they played well together with the New Jersey Devils. However, it wasn’t a tandem that the Devils felt would take them to the next level, and for good reason. Blackwood is undoubtedly the better of the two at this point, and even though the Sharks are expecting to be near the bottom of the standings again in 2024-25, the idea of Vanecek as the number-one goaltender is far from ideal.
With the Sharks’ salary cap situation, they could easily pay Blackwood whatever he demands, and it wouldn’t hurt them any time soon. He’ll likely want a long-term deal, but it would be surprising if he gets one. The ideal situation would be for the Sharks to re-sign him for three years or less.
The Cons of Keeping Blackwood
The key reason to keep Blackwood is that he can help the team win. That said, there are no guarantees that the Sharks are anywhere near ready to move out of the rebuilding phase. The team could spend two or three more seasons in the basement before they start moving toward the playoff picture. At that point, Blackwood would be into his thirties. Goaltenders tend to stay in their prime longer than skaters, but that’s not always true, as Montreal Canadiens fans experienced with Carey Price, whose career unfortunately came to a premature end due to injury.
If the Sharks believe Romanov or Chrona to be legitimate NHL prospects, it would be beneficial to get them consistent playing time at the NHL level sooner rather than later. Running with Vanecek as the starting goaltender might be concerning, but it could help the team in the long run to play their prospects. I don’t have much faith in either prospect becoming a true NHL regular based on what I’ve seen, but if management disagrees, they could go that route.
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The Sharks have a very good goaltender in Blackwood, but his future is unclear with his current contract status. There’s no wrong choice here; however, if he is traded, then Grier will need to make sure they make a substantial profit.
