Avalanche acquire G Blackwood from Sharks
The San Jose Sharks have traded goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood, forward Givani Smith, and a fifth-round draft pick in 2027 to the Colorado Avalanche on Monday.
In exchange, the Sharks will receive goaltender Alexandar Georgiev, forward Nikolai Kovalenko, a second-round draft pick in 2026, and a fifth-round draft pick in 2025.
The Avalanche retain 14 per cent of Georgiev's salary in the deal, according to TSN Hockey Insider Chris Johnston.
Blackwood, 27, has a 6-9-3 record with the Sharks this season, with a 3.00 goals-against average and .911 save percentage.
The 6-foot-4 netminder is on the final year of a two-year, $4.7 million contract with an annual cap hit of $2.35 million. He is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.
San Jose acquired Blackwood from the New Jersey Devils in 2023 in exchange for a draft pick.
Drafted 42nd overall by the Devils in 2015, Blackwood has a career 81-90-25 record with a 3.06 GAA and .904 save percentage split between the Devils and Sharks.
The Thunder Bay, Ont., native represented Canada at the 2019 World Championship, taking home a silver medal.
Smith, 26, has only appeared in six games with the Sharks this season and has not recorded a point.
The 6-foot-2 winger is on the final year of a two-year, $1.6 million deal with a cap hit of $800,000. He is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.
Drafted 46th overall by the Detroit Red Wings in 2016, Smith has nine goals and 22 points in 161 career games split between the Red Wings, Florida Panthers and Sharks.
Georgiev has struggled with the Avalanche this season, going 8-7-0 with a 3.38 GAA and .874 save percentage.
The 6-foot-1 netminder has been in the top two in the NHL in wins the last two seasons, recording 38 and 40 wins, respectively.
Georgiev is on the final season of a three-year, $10.2 million deal with a cap hit of $3.4 million. He is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.
Originally signed as an undrafted free agent by the New York Rangers in 2017, Georgiev has a career 258-89-22 record with a .907 save percentage and 2.89 GAA.
Kovalenko, 25, has four goals and eight points in 28 games with the Avalanche this season.
The 5-foot-10 winger is playing in his first full season in North America after being drafted 171st overall by the Avalanche in 2018.
He previously played for Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod of the KHL, recording 11 goals and 35 points during the 2023-24 campaign before moving to North America.
Kovalenko is the son of former NHLer Andrei Kovalenko, who recorded 173 goals and 379 points in nine NHL seasons split between the Quebec Nordiques, Avalanche, Montreal Canadiens, Edmonton Oilers, Carolina Hurricanes, Philadelphia Flyers, and Boston Bruins.
