Mackenzie Blackwood's first start following off-season surgery to repair a lower body injury could come against the team that traded him.
Mackenzie Blackwood is set to make his 2025–26 season debut on Saturday when the Colorado Avalanche visit San Jose — a familiar stop for the former Sharks netminder.
Blackwood spent parts of two seasons in San Jose before being sent to Colorado in the deal that moved Alexandar Georgiev and Nikolai Kovalenko the other way—neither of whom remains with the Sharks today.
“I didn’t want to rush myself back, I know they did a great job of managing it and making sure everything was good to go,” Blackwood told reporters on Thursday. “I feel great now, it’s just full steam ahead.”
The veteran netminder underwent off-season surgery to repair a lower-body injury and has eased back into action as Scott Wedgewood’s backup in each of the last two games.
He’s Back
The 28-year-old—drafted fourth overall by the New Jersey Devils in 2015, the same year Martin Brodeur retired—took his first shots of the year on September 5 at Family Sports Center during the final minutes of an optional skate. He joined the next few sessions in a limited capacity, with Scott Wedgewood absorbing most of the reps, a disparity that led some rinkside observers to question his health. About a week later, he appeared in an injured-skate group, and the Vegas Golden Knights’ broadcast of a preseason game against Colorado on September 30 confirmed that he had undergone surgery. Those watching closely had already noticed he was struggling to push off his right leg, occasionally grimacing in pain. He rejoined the main group on October 6 but ultimately missed the entirety of training camp and the preseason.
Although that was initially seen as a liability, Wedgewood performed fantastically in relief, posting near career-best numbers with a 2.53 goals against average and a .900 save percentage.
Blackwood logged 37 appearances for Colorado last season, starting 36 of them, and delivered a strong debut campaign with a 22-12-3 record. His .913 save percentage and 2.33 goals-against average were enough to secure a substantial commitment from the Avalanche, who signed him to a five-year extension carrying a $5.25 million AAV.
When San Jose acquired him from New Jersey, many questioned whether his career had much long-term potential. Yet he remained healthy and delivered reliable goaltending behind a Sharks team that struggled mightily in several areas. While the organization initially explored the possibility of an extension, both sides ultimately concluded that a long-term deal was ill-advised with Yaroslav Askarov emerging as the franchise’s next star between the pipes.
Now, Blackwood is with the Avalanche and he’s armed with some of the greatest weapons in the NHL. It’s like getting an arms deal from a foreign adversary to square off against your former allies, except this is hockey and not a battlefield. However, the Sharks rebuild, although difficult to watch at times, has finally begun to find traction behind a bonafide superstar in Macklin Celebrini. The Sharks have won three of their last five, including a 5-2 victory over the New Jersey Devils.
Showtime
The Avalanche (7-1-4) are entering their second back-to-back game of the year. They aren’t even 24 hours removed from their 4-2 win over the Vegas Golden Knights on Friday. It all goes down at the SAP Center. Puck drop is at 2 p.m. local time.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.