New Jersey Devils Send MacKenzie Blackwood to San Jose Sharks

The New Jersey Devils have traded goaltender MacKenzie Blackwood to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for a sixth-round draft pick in this year’s draft. This is a smart move by the Sharks, especially with the news that James Reimer will not be returning to San Jose next season, and for a sixth-round pick, it’s definitely a high-risk, low-reward move for the Sharks. San Jose will likely roll with a tandem of Blackwood and Kaapo Kahkonen. New Jersey and Blackwood have had their issues over the past few years, and Blackwood has also been struggling with injuries throughout his career. In six seasons with the Devils, Blackwood has a record of 65-57-18 with a 2.97 GAA, .906 SV%, and eight shutouts. The goaltending in New Jersey does look promising, even if they don’t go out and get another goaltender. They have Nico Daws, Akira Schmid, and Vitek Vanecek. However, Daws is expected to miss time at the beginning of the season, which may force the Devils’ hand this Summer. Regardless of what the Devils do, they should think twice about blowing it up to bring in a big-name goaltender; they have a young team, and as previously mentioned their future in net will come down to Nico Daws and Akira Schmid.