The Ducks began the season by reacquiring franchise goalie Mackenzie Blackwood in a three-team deal with the Moncton Melon and Riverview Royals. GM Sullivan paid a steep price to make the deal work. He was glad to pay, as the intention was for Blackwood to spend the rest of his career in Bathurst as a starter for the next three to five seasons. Then, hopefully, he would transition into a mentor/ backup for whoever the future of goaltending for the club ends up being.
While Blackwood has generally played well this season, he is also having one of his worst seasons of his career. Despite being ranked as the top goalie in the league according to scouting reports, he is still on the leaderboard for wins, shutouts, save percentage, minutes played, shots against, and quality games. Maybe expectations are too high because we are comparing him to the years he was the most dominant goalie in the world.
Knowing how quickly goalies decline in this league, the 30-year-old is looking to make sure he gets paid every penny he can out of these remaining years. Once rival goalie Samuel Montembeault signed a one-year deal worth $10.25 million, management knew it would take more than that to get Blackwood signed. Talks were going well with the Ducks reportedly offering $11 million for one season, but Blackwood shocked everyone by firing his agent. Once negotiations resumed, Blackwood’s new agent came back with a number north of $12 million, instantly halting negotiations.
Management now finds themselves in a sticky situation that might lead to them not having a starting goalie next season or having to give Blackwood more term than initially expected. Only a season after abandoning the rebuild, could the Ducks be forced to rebuild again this time without their own draft pick? Maybe Blackwood and his team will have a change of heart and resume talks, but only time will tell.
9/4/2025 - 320 words
