Mackenzie Blackwood

This Season So Far

The 2026-27 season has not started. The empty row above is his, and both it and this paragraph fill in on their own from the morning after he first plays: what he has done, what it is worth against his own last season, and the run he is on when the two disagree.

Last Season

39 games, a .904 save percentage, a 2.51 goals-against average and 3 shutouts, going 23-10-2. That is close to his career .905 and, on this team, a slightly disappointing number next to the man ahead of him.

The Physical Game

6-4 and 225, and he plays a big, blocking style — square, deep enough to let the puck find him, and hard to beat cleanly from distance. When he is on he looks immovable.

The consistency has always been the issue rather than the technique. He is prone to stretches where the tracking goes and pucks he normally absorbs get past him, and his rebound control is ordinary.

He is not quick laterally for his size, which is the specific thing that separates him from a genuine starter.

The Mental Game

He spent his best years on rebuilding teams facing 40 shots a night, which is either an explanation for the career numbers or an excuse for them. To his credit he never visibly stopped competing through any of it.

The Intangibles

Career .905 across 291 games is exactly a 1B: good enough to win you games, not good enough to be the reason you win a series.

Behind a goaltender who just posted a .921, he is in the best situation of his career — 35 starts, a strong defence in front, and no expectation that he steals anything. That is where goaltenders of this profile tend to look their best.