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.
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