Notebook: At What Point Should Blackwood Be Included In the Vezina Trophy Conversation?

It’s way too early. It’s a crazy thought. But hear me out.

Mackenzie Blackwood is 4-1-0 in five starts since joining the Avalanche. He let in two goals in each of the first four games before following up his new five-year extension with a 34-save performance in a 4-1 victory over Utah. Blackwood has a .940 save percentage with the Avs and despite starting the season with a rebuilding San Jose Sharks team, he’s suddenly climbed into the top five in the NHL in save percentage (.917).

I’m not necessarily saying Blackwood can win the thing or that he’s anywhere close to being a top goalie this season. But I truly do think a strong January could mean he’s at least in the conversation. Especially because it’ll be his first real taste of Avalanche hockey against other top teams. January includes matchups against Florida, Minnesota twice, Winnipeg twice, Edmonton, Dallas, and Boston. And the Avs also close out December with another game against the Jets.

Also, it’s not like this would be the first time we’ve seen something like this.

Remember Devan Dubnyk in 2015? He was traded to the 18-19-5 Minnesota Wild on January 14. At the time, Minnesota was dead last in the NHL in save percentage and Dubnyk was 9-5-2 with a .916 save percentage. He went on to make 39 starts the rest of the way, recording a 27-9-2 record with a whopping .936 save percentage to turn a non-playoff team into a 100-point finish. The result? Third place in Vezina voting behind the Hart Trophy winner Carey Price and Nashville’s Pekka Rinne. Pretty solid company if you ask me.

Blackwood joined the Avs with a .911 save percentage despite having a losing record. Colorado has 45 games left. What if he plays 32 of them? And what if he wins 21 of those 32 while posting a save percentage of at least .920 when all is said and done?

Would 56 games, 31 wins, and at least a .920 be enough to earn him a top-3 finish?

Miles Wood

I wonder where things would be right now with Miles Wood had he not suffered that injury a month ago. Before he got hurt, he was often playing on the fourth line behind Joel Kiviranta. He struggled quite a bit to start the year and his $2.5 million salary is becoming somewhat of a luxury for a fourth-line depth piece.

With the Logan O’Connor and Blackwood extensions in place and the recent acquisition of Juuso Parssinen, is it safe to say this is the last year Wood will spend with the Avs? I’ve written about this before and have mentioned it several times this season on my podcast, Rinkside with Aarif Deen presented by Mile High Sports.

I had all but guaranteed he’d traded before the trade deadline if he was healthy. But it sounds like he’s still ways away from returning. Albeit he is making progress.

There’s definitely a spot for him for the rest of the season if he can get healthy and return to form. Right now the bottom six looks to be some variation of Ross Colton, Joel Kiviranta, Parker Kelly, Ivan Ivan, O’Connor, and Parssinen. I’m also pretty certain that even if Wood returns, the Avs are probably going to bring in another middle six-forward for added depth. Unless, of course, Gabriel Landeskog makes a miraculous comeback.

Juuso Parssinen

Loved the idea of acquiring him a couple of weeks back and loved it even more when I saw what the Avalanche gave up for him.

I’ve learned over the past few seasons that the Avs are generally pretty good at pro scouting players who haven’t yet taken that big step in their career. Perhaps the veteran acquisitions like Tomas Tatar and Ryan Johansen haven’t always worked out. But the younger player with team control and a ceiling that hasn’t yet been reached? That’s their specialty.

Think Valeri Nichushkin, Artturi Lehkonen, Andre Burakovsky, Ryan Graves, and Devon Toews. Perhaps Blackwood and Kiviranta can be added to that list soon.

Parssinen strikes me as a player they can mold into a PK guy like they did with Wood or Colton. He didn’t get a lot of shorthanded ice-time with the Predators but he’s got the size and the speed to do it. I’m really looking forward to seeing how he fits in and if it works out for him and the Avs.

Scott Wedgewood

After Saturday’s practice, Scott Wedgewood hung around in his stall to chat with me and one other media member for a solid 15-20 minutes off the record. No cameras, no audio recorders, no questions. Just a salt-of-the-earth type of guy who just enjoys talking to people, learning about them, and having a good time. It’s a much-needed personality in the room and someone who carries himself like a winner.

I’m learning more and more why he means so much to every organization he plays for. Fans in Dallas loved him. He was also a fan favorite both in New Jersey and Arizona during his two stints with each club. Even if he only stays here until his contract expires at the end of the 2025-26 season, I still bet he’s going to quickly become a fan favorite among Avs fans too.

Chris MacFarland absolutely knocked it out of the park here.

Empty-net goals

Remember how the Avalanche have basically led the league in empty net goals against pretty much all season? That’s still the case, they’ve given up 15. But after the most recent two games, they now also lead the league in empty net goals for, with, you guessed it, 15.