In a somewhat surprising move, the San Jose Sharks opted not to qualify goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood Friday, just days after acquiring his rights from the New Jersey Devils for a 2024 sixth-round pick. According to Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli, the Sharks and Blackwood were not close in their brief contract discussion prior to Friday’s qualifying deadline. Discussions between the two parties remain ongoing, but the 26-year-old netminder could absolutely land with another NHL team after the market opens Saturday.
The Devils moved on from Blackwood with better options available internally. He was due a rather rich qualifying offer of $3.36M, a number he won’t come close to on the open market after his performance last season. The Sharks would surely like to keep him — after all, they do have a vacant spot in their goalie tandem with James Reimer not returning — but it doesn’t seem they’re prepared to pay over market value to keep him around and would rather have just thrown away the draft pick.
Some other Western Conference tidbits as free agency looms:
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