Sharks Acquire Mackenzie Blackwood from Devils

The San Jose Sharks got goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood in a trade with the New Jersey Devils. New Jersey gets a 2023 sixth-round pick.

The San Jose Sharks are getting a new netminder in Mackenzie Blackwood.

San Jose traded a 2023 sixth-round pick to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for the 26-year-old goalie on Tuesday. Blackwood is a pending RFA in need of a new contract.

Blackwood, a Thunder Bay, Ont. native, appeared in 22 games this past season and recorded a 10-6-2 record with a .893 save percentage and 3.20 goals-against average. Those stats are similar to the 2021-22 season, where Blackwood had a 9-10-4 record with a .892 save percentage and 3.39 GAA.

The Sharks will hope for the 6-foot-4 goalie to bounce back after two seasons with subpar statistics. But this will be a great opportunity for Blackwood to work with Kaapo Kahkonen in the Sharks' crease as the team continues rebuilding. San Jose parted with the other goaltender alongside Kahkonen this past season, James Reimer, as he heads to free agency. 

Blackwood can slot in after he was slotted out in New Jersey due to injuries, as 23-year-old netminder Akira Schmid impressed in his NHL call-ups in 2022-23, while Vitek Vanecek posted a 33-11-4 record. 

San Jose has 18 signed players on their active roster with about $14 million in cap space, according to PuckPedia. The team has five other RFAs to deal with, including trade deadline acquisition Fabian Zetterlund.