Avalanche ink Blackwood to 5-year extension with reported $5.25M AAV

The Colorado Avalanche signed goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood to a five-year extension, the team announced Friday.

Blackwood's deal carries a cap hit of $5.25 million, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reports.

Colorado acquired Blackwood from the Sharks on Dec. 9 as part of a seven-piece trade that sent struggling netminder Alexandar Georgiev to San Jose.

Blackwood is currently playing out the final campaign of a two-year deal with an average annual value of $2.35 million.

The 28-year-old has appeared in four games with the Avalanche so far, posting three wins, a .931 save percentage, and 2.03 goals-against average.

"We are thrilled to get this deal done now and have Mackenzie under contract for the next six years," Avalanche general manager Chris MacFarland said in a statement. "As I said when we acquired him, we feel like Mackenzie has just gotten better and better every year and he has come in and done a great job with us in his first few starts.

"He's a big body, athletic goaltender who is still young and still growing as a goaltender. Stylistically, he has fit really well with how we play and has been a perfect fit in our dressing room as well."

Blackwood made 17 starts with the Sharks and owned a respectable .911 clip before being traded.

Though San Jose finished in last place of the league last campaign, Blackwood was credited with saving 11.07 goals above expected at all strengths, which was the 26th-best mark out of 96 goalies, per Evolving-Hockey.

The New Jersey Devils selected Blackwood in the second round of the 2015 NHL Draft. He owns a career .905 save percentage in 219 showings.