SAN JOSE – Mackenzie Blackwood was acquired by the San Jose Sharks from the New Jersey Devils in June 2023 for a sixth-round pick on this 12 months's draft. At the time, it was unclear how much the Sharks would get out of Blackwood, who struggled with injuries within the latter stages of his tenure with the Devils.

But Sharks general manager Mike Grier trusted how well he knew Blackwood and believed the 6-foot-2 goaltender could stay healthy and switch his profession around. Working alongside Evgeni Nabokov and Thomas Speer, Blackwood later became the Sharks' No. 1 goaltender, putting up solid numbers for a team within the early stages of rebuilding.

It was a neat job for Grier, who once more turned a minimal investment right into a greater return.

Grier has made some blockbusters, similar to the Erik Karlsson and Timo Meier trades, which have aged well. But in June he acquired defenseman Jake Walman and a 2024 second-rounder for nothing from Detroit, and two months later he also acquired defenseman Cody Ceci from Edmonton for waiver claim Ty Emberson.

Forward Klim Kostin, who most recently played on the Sharks' third line, was acquired from the Red Wings in March for defenseman Radim Simek, who didn’t play a game for Detroit and now plays within the Czech league.

While Walman is under contract through next season, Ceci, a pending UFA contract, is anticipated to be traded for a future asset before the March 7 deadline. Kostin's future is uncertain as he continues to be a restricted free agent.

Grier likely didn't plan on keeping Blackwood beyond the two-year deal he signed shortly after being picked up from the Garden State.

Blackwood turned 28 on Monday, and though he was still within the prime of his profession, it made little sense for the Sharks to sign him to a contract extension as they seem like no less than a number of years away from having legitimate playoff prospects. to change into a candidate.

The Sharks could have kept Blackwood just a little longer to perhaps attract interest from other teams and drive up the value. However, the goalkeeper market could be volatile on the deadline and if Blackwood gets injured it could impact his value. Colorado needed a goalie with No. 1 potential, so the deal was made.

All in all, trading a sixth-rounder for a second-rounder, a conditional fifth-round pick, and a player in Kovalenko who might stick around for some time is a fairly good return for an upcoming UFA.

Let's start with what the Sharks got back from the Avalanche.

Given the Avalanche's recent track record, the 2026 second-rounder's numbers are more likely to be within the Fiftieth-Sixtieth overall range. There will likely be much more capital because the Sharks are holding on to 5 other UFAs along with Ceci.

The 1.70 meter tall and 80 kilogram heavy Kovalenko is a captivating player. With eight points in 28 games this season, the 25-year-old might not be a hidden offensive dynamo. But he should get more opportunities with the Sharks than with the Avalanche, where he averaged just 12 minutes per game.

With a cap hit of $896,250, Kovalenko could immediately slot into the Sharks' top nine or middle six when San Jose takes on the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday at Lenovo Center. By the best way, Kovalenko was born in Raleigh, North Carolina in October 1999, just as his father, Andrei Kovalenko, was starting his second and final season with the Hurricanes.

Whether Kovalenko can play greater than only a defensive role in San Jose will likely rely upon how hard he competes, how well he can handle the puck and whether he can earn the trust of coach Ryan Warsofsky. Even just a little growling wouldn't discourage us.

If Kovalenko can do those things while also scoring some much-needed points, then the Sharks probably have someone they wish to keep. Kovalenko is scheduled to change into a restricted free agent this summer.

But Georgiev is undoubtedly a renovation project.

Georgiev put up mostly solid numbers in his first five-plus NHL seasons, going 179-98-64 with a .912 save percentage from 2018-2023. The last two seasons were difficult as he had a mediocre .892 save percentage with lower than half of his 81 starts during that point considered quality starts.

“I think in Georgiev's case, he's shown that he can be a good goaltender in this league, as evidenced by his win totals over the last few years and certainly his postseason play last year as well,” said Chris MacFarland, general manager of Avalanche told reporters on Monday. “Statistics are statistics. We were aware of our goalkeeping problems at the start of the season. … We felt like we needed an upgrade a few weeks ago and started wearing out the tires.”

Let's face it: the Sharks' record could really take successful now that Blackwood is elsewhere. He helped keep the Sharks competitive in some games they weren't an element of, and it's unclear whether Vitek Vanecek and Georgiev can fully compensate for his absence. Yaroslav Askarov's time is coming, nevertheless it doesn't appear to have come yet.

So for now it's about whether Nabokov and Speer can get Georgiev back into his game, just as they helped Blackwood during the last season and a half. If they will, perhaps Grier can turn Georgiev and his $2.924 million cap hit into an asset before the March 7 trade deadline.

It wouldn't necessarily be a surprise. Eventually, Grier seems to make this a habit.

Originally published: December 9, 2024 at 7:54 pm PST

Mackenzie Blackwood made 44 saves for his former team because the San Jose Sharks defeated the New Jersey Devils 1-0 at Prudential Center on Sunday to start a four-game road trip.

Blackwood made 25 saves in the primary two periods, but particularly excelled within the third period with 19 saves, including six in a shootout after defender Mario Ferraro was called up for a catch with 3:32 left in regulation.

Blackwood, who spent the primary five seasons of his NHL profession with the Devils, now has 11 profession shutouts. The 44 saves he made in a 1-0 shutout win are probably the most in Sharks team history.

“It’s pretty cool for me,” said Blackwood, who was drafted by the Devils in 2015 and played for the team from 2018 to 2023 before being traded to San Jose. “I have spent a lot of time here. I have good relationships with a lot of people in this room. These are great people. I'm really lucky to have been able to join the league with such special people and it was a pleasure for me to start there.

“It’s pretty fun to be able to do that tonight.”

Nico Sturm scored the one goal of the sport for the Sharks (5-9-2), who won for the fifth time of their last seven games.

“I think the games we won this year, we played very simply for the most part,” Sturm said. “With the squad composition we have, we have to play like that.”

With 16:21 remaining in the primary period, Sturm was credited together with his third goal of the season.

After a powerful forecheck, Sturm took control of the puck behind the Devils and played a backhand forward pass intended for Carl Grundstrom. But the puck went off former Shark Timo Meier's skate and past goaltender Jake Allen, giving San Jose a 1-0 lead.

The Sharks thought they’d taken a 2-0 lead when Fabian Zetterlund sent the puck over the goal line on a second attempt amid a scramble in front of the Devils' net. But after initially deeming the goal good, the on-ice officials discovered that Zetterlund had illegally touched Allen's pad before the goal.

Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky considered difficult the officials' call but decided the danger wasn't price it. Had the challenge been unsuccessful, the Sharks would have been assessed a delay of game penalty.

“I'm a little lost for words because I think if you call it on the ice, then (the Devils) should have to challenge it,” Warsofsky said. “We thought about it. It was a difficult question.”

Blackwood, who was traded from the Devils to the Sharks for a 2023 sixth-round draft pick on June 27, 2023, made his second start against his former team.

Blackwood faced New Jersey once last season, on Feb. 27 on the SAP Center, but an injury forced him to depart the sport after just 17 minutes. Kaapo Kähkönen gave the Devils seven goals on 31 shots in relief because the Sharks suffered a 7-2 loss.

Blackwood now has a 3-4-2 record, 3.10 goals against average and a .910 save percentage. He is entering the ultimate yr of the two-year contract he signed with San Jose on July 1, 2023, as an unrestricted free agent.

“He was outstanding, probably the best I’ve ever seen him,” Warsofsky said of Blackwood. “You could tell he was well-rehearsed and focused and was really good at tracking pucks.”

The Sharks began Sunday with a 1:5:1 away record. Their only road win was a dramatic 5-4 time beyond regulation victory against Utah on October twenty eighth. That time they erased a three-goal deficit in the ultimate five minutes of the third period before Alexander Wennberg scored in time beyond regulation.

SMITH SITTING: Rookie center Will Smith received one other day of development on Sunday, his fourth in 16 games this season. Smith also wore no clothing last month in away games against the Winnipeg Jets, Los Angeles Kings and Utah Hockey Club.

Without Smith, who had two goals and one assist in 12 games as a rookie, the Sharks are actually 2-2-0 in games. Smith has yet to play in games on consecutive days this season, a trend that can proceed Monday, when Smith is predicted to be back within the lineup when the Sharks play the Philadelphia Flyers.

The Sharks are giving Smith and rookie centerman Macklin Celebrini intermittent “development days,” no less than for the primary half of the season, attempting to help each players adjust to the hectic travel and game schedules of their first NHL seasons.

Wennberg replaced Smith because the Sharks' third-line center for Sunday's game, with Barclay Goodrow and Luke Kunin on the wings.

Celebrini centered a line with Ty Dellandrea and Tyler Toffoli on the wings, and the Sharks reunited the “Lund line” for Sunday, with center Mikael Granlund twiddling with William Eklund and Zetterlund.

Eklund had a season-low 15:20 of ice time within the Sharks' 5-2 loss to the Minnesota Wild on Thursday. Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky said after the loss that he needed more from Eklund, who has one assist in his last 4 games.

Eklund, Zetterlund and Granlund became the Sharks' top forwards late last season, combining for 58 points in the ultimate 24 games in March and April.

WALMAN STILL OUTSIDE: Defenseman Jake Walman practiced Saturday but missed his third straight game Sunday, and missed the second straight game with an upper-body injury. Walman leads all Sharks defensemen with nine points in 13 games.

After Monday, the Sharks will finish their road trip with games against the New York Rangers on Thursday and the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday.

Originally published: November 10, 2024 at 6:37 pm PST

Ty Dellandrea and Tyler Toffoli each scored goals and Mackenzie Blackwood finished with 36 saves, however the Sharks lost 3-2 in a shootout to the Dallas Stars on Tuesday, giving Ryan Warsofsky his first win as an NHL head coach.

All three Stars shooters scored within the shootout, while Mikael Granlund was the one Shark to attain against Dallas goaltender Jake Oettinger.

The Sharks led 2-1 late within the second period before Stars forward Roope Hintz scored the equalizer at 17:12. Blackwood made 12 saves within the third period to assist send the sport into extra time. Oettinger finished the sport with 25 saves, including 11 within the third period and two in extra time.

The Sharks went 4-for-4 within the shootout, but were again let down by their power play, going 0-for-3 against the Stars. That features a wasted 5-on-3 probability early within the third period when San Jose had a two-man lead for 96 seconds but only got one shot on net.

The Sharks at the moment are 1-8 this season and have lost three games by a complete of 4 goals.

“I mean, the power play sucks,” Toffoli told reporters after the sport.

The Sharks (0-1-2) proceed their road trip this week with stops in Chicago on Thursday and Winnipeg on Friday.

Originally published: October 15, 2024 at 7:58 p.m

Numerous San Jose Sharks players didn’t join the team for his or her final road trip of the 12 months, ending their respective seasons and, for a few of them, likely their tenure with the organization.

Forwards Kevin Labanc, Mike Hoffman, Filip Zadina and Alexander Barabanov, forward/defender Jacob MacDonald, defenseman Jan Rutta and goalie Mackenzie Blackwood all didn’t travel with the Sharks, who face the Edmonton Oilers tonight and the Calgary Flames on Thursday regular season.

The injuries led the Sharks to usher in forward Danil Gushchin, defenseman Jack Thompson and goalkeeper Georgi Romanov from the Barracuda on emergency loan terms. Gushchin and Thompson will play tonight against the Oilers and Romanov is an choice to make his NHL debut Thursday in Calgary.

Labanc and Rutta each played within the Sharks' final home game against the Minnesota Wild on Saturday and it was not immediately clear why they didn’t travel with the Sharks, although a team spokesman said several players were coping with injuries.

Blackwood began Saturday's game and stopped 32 of 38 shots within the Sharks' 5-6 loss to Minnesota. Sharks coach David Quinn said Blackwood was “battling something.” “For some time now, actually,” the team recalled Romanov.

Hoffman had played in only one among the Sharks' last five games before Monday. He returned from a concussion on March 28 after missing eight games. He played in the next 4 games for the Sharks before being dropped from the squad again.

Labanc, Hoffman, Barabanov and MacDonald are all pending unrestricted free agents, and Zadina is a pending restricted free agent with arbitration rights. Both Rutta, 33, and Blackwood, 27, are signed for an additional season.

It seems unlikely that the rebuilding Sharks would re-sign the underperforming Labanc (28), Hoffman (34) or Barabanov (29) as they proceed to rotate their roster and look to get younger and, in some ways, larger. All three had disappointing years from a statistical perspective, combining for just 45 points in 158 games.

The Sharks must make a choice on the 24-year-old Zadina, who was injured before the team's game against the Calgary Flames last Tuesday and missed subsequent games against the Seattle Kraken and Wild.

Zadina set a brand new profession high with 13 goals this season, primarily being deployed as a deep striker. After parting ways with the Detroit Red Wings, he signed a one-year contract as a free agent with the Sharks last July, and his scoring rate is the third highest amongst players still with the team.

Zadina also finished the sport with 23 points, one point shy of his profession high, and averaged 13:20 of ice time per game as he had loads of time on San Jose's fourth line. Before his injury, he scored only one goal in his last 13 games.