Avalanche send Mackenzie Blackwood to AHL on conditioning loan

Blackwood has yet to play a game this season, as an offseason lower-body injury kept him out of training camp. In his place, the Avalanche have relied on veteran backup Scott Wedgewood, who has played rather well in the first three games of the 2025-26 campaign.

Blackwood is coming into his first full season as a member of the Avs. He started the 2024-25 season with the San Jose Sharks, but was moved to Denver last December amid the latter’s desperate need for a good goaltender. The move paid off, as the Thunder Bay, Ont. native played well, going 22-12-3 in 37 games with Colorado, posting a 2.33 goals-against average, a .913 save percentage and three shutouts.

In his first Stanley Cup Playoff appearance, Blackwood played all seven games against the Dallas Stars, losing out to Jake Oettinger and company in a thrilling first-round series.

Blackwood is entering the first season of a five-year contract, which he signed last January. The deal has an AAV of $5.25 million through the 2029-30 season.

For the terms of the loan, Blackwood can remain with the Eagles for up to 14 days. The Eagles have five games over that span.

It won’t be the first time that Eagles’ fans will get to see a notable name from the big club spend some time in Loveland. Last season, Avs captain Gabriel Landeskog played a couple of games while getting in shape before returning to the NHL. The Swedish center even scored a goal in the process.

The Eagles opened their 2025-26 season with a pair of wins over the Calgary Flames’ top farm team, the Calgary Wranglers, this past weekend. Colorado hits the road to take on the Coachella Valley Firebirds on Saturday, before visiting the Ontario Reign on Sunday.

The Avalanche (2-0-1) is set to face the Buffalo Sabres on Monday afternoon.