The return was San Jose's sixth-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft.
By the end of the 2022-23 season, New Jersey Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald knew his team was on the fast track to becoming a Stanley Cup contender. His young core got a taste of postseason hockey and now understands how difficult it is to win a round in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
In this summer series, I will chronologically break down every move the organization made this offseason and discuss how it positively or negatively impacts the team for the 2023-24 season.
There were very few surprises regarding players GM Fitzgerald moved on from this summer. The most expected move occurred on June 27, when the Devils sent goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood to the San Jose Sharks for a sixth-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft.
A few days later, the Sharks signed Blackwood to a two-year, $4.7 million contract with an average annual value of $2.35 million.
"Mackenzie is a big (6-foot-4, 225 pounds), athletic goaltender with a lot of potential and upside," said Sharks general manager Mike Grier. "He will be a good addition to our goaltender group."
Grier, of course, has familiarity with the netminder, as he served as an assistant head coach in New Jersey for two seasons (2018-19 and 2019-20).
Blackwood has dealt with various injuries that affected his upper and lower body throughout his career. Because of that, he struggled and finished the 2022-23 campaign with 3.20 goals against average and a .893 save percentage.
Landing on a team in the rebuild process could immediately work in Blackwood's favor.
The goal of every NHL player is to win the Stanley Cup, which won't be accomplished on a team that is reversing its roster. Knowing where the organization currently stands, there is no expectation that the Sharks will be competitive in the 2023-24 season. Some early projections have them finishing at the bottom of the Pacific Division.
This allows Blackwood to play and develop in a low-pressure environment. The 26-year-old won't necessarily deal with the criticism that a netminder would deal with in a market like Toronto or even New Jersey, where, from an outside perspective, the weakness on their roster is goaltending.
During his end-of-season media availability, the Thunder Bay native said he wants to go where there is an opportunity. With the emergence of Akira Schmid, that would not be in New Jersey.
This was a good trade by GM Fitzgerald as they used the draft pick to select Cole Brown, a young player who caught the attention of his fellow attendees at the Devils 2023 Development Camp. Blackwood gets a fresh start and can hopefully put his injuries behind him. He can focus on returning to the game that earned him votes for the Calder Trophy in 2020.