Is Mackenzie Blackwood currently the best goaltender in the Metro?

[CapsJunkie]

he's putting up great numbers

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

He has 23* career games..

So because he has 23 NHL games he’s not eligible to be the best goalie in the division? You started the thread asking a question, I gave my input, and backed it up with stats. Sorry if you disagree.

 

[Woncka]

So because he has 23 NHL games he’s not eligible to be the best goalie in the division? You started the thread asking a question, I gave my input, and backed it up with stats. Sorry if you disagree.

But I never said that he cant be

you cant be surprised when someone is wondering why you're comparing 23 games to 76

The stats I posted in the OP show Blackwood having a .924 in 34.. Lets see when Shestyorkin hits 34 games if hes above that

 

[TBF1972]

Still confused on why Blackwood signed for 3 years @ $2.8 this offseason. RFA at expiry too.

confused, but happy.

 

[HFBS]

Luckily outside of Newark within an hours drive are some of the nicest suburbs in the country

NJ as a state gets a VERY bad rep due to the parts of North Jersey surrounding NYC

Most of the state outside of there is gorgeous (though expensive)

That's certainly revisionist history, if I can use history as current.

Nice try blaming New Jersey slums on NYC.

The only reason New Jersey has expensive suburbs is because it is next to NYC. (It doesn't 'surround' NYC.)

I always refer to Jersey as the Leech state because the northern half leeches off NYC and the southern half leeches off Philly.

 

[Woncka]

That's certainly revisionist history, if I can use history as current.

Nice try blaming New Jersey slums on NYC.

The only reason New Jersey has expensive suburbs is because it is next to NYC. (It doesn't 'surround' NYC.)

I always refer to Jersey as the Leech state because the northern half leeches off NYC and the southern half leeches off Philly.

You clearly didnt read my post correctly if this is what you took from it

edit: but just to clarify... the NJ cities around NYC are why NJ gets such a bad name (their looks). It is not uncommon for major world cities to have lower end areas surrounding it.

How you extrapolated that into me saying NYC is the problem, Im not sure

 

[TonySoprano]

That's certainly revisionist history, if I can use history as current.

Nice try blaming New Jersey slums on NYC.

The only reason New Jersey has expensive suburbs is because it is next to NYC. (It doesn't 'surround' NYC.)

I always refer to Jersey as the Leech state because the northern half leeches off NYC and the southern half leeches off Philly.

Ok Phil Leotardo

 

[Riseonfire]

He's a lot better than I've given him credit for so, crow eating time for sure.

Is he the best goalie in the division? Ehhh IDK.

I think right now it probably comes down to Shestyorkin, Blackwood, Varlamov, and maybe Elvis.

Gonna roll with this list, best goalie depends on the day.

 

[Riddum]

Best in the league.

 

[13th Floor]

That's certainly revisionist history, if I can use history as current.

Nice try blaming New Jersey slums on NYC.

The only reason New Jersey has expensive suburbs is because it is next to NYC. (It doesn't 'surround' NYC.)

I always refer to Jersey as the Leech state because the northern half leeches off NYC and the southern half leeches off Philly.

You certainly relished the opportunity to completely disregard what he wrote in his post and make up something else he said so you can insert your overly trite NYC is better than NJ comment which had zero bearing on the conversation.

This was easily the worst part about living in NYC for me. The overly arrogant attitude of "this is the best city in the world and I've never been anywhere else because it has everything here" while completely ignoring the contradictory nature of that statement.

Getting away from this stupid tribal Neanderthal thinking was so rewarding for me.

 

[PizzaAndPucks]

That's certainly revisionist history, if I can use history as current.

Nice try blaming New Jersey slums on NYC.

The only reason New Jersey has expensive suburbs is because it is next to NYC. (It doesn't 'surround' NYC.)

I always refer to Jersey as the Leech state because the northern half leeches off NYC and the southern half leeches off Philly.

What a great analogy. You deff live up to your profile pic on here.

 

[Fitzy]

He has 23* career games..

Shesty's been amazing every league he has played in. I fully expect he will be a calder candidate and might win a few Vezinas along the way

 

[Woncka]

Shesty's been amazing every league he has played in. I fully expect he will be a calder candidate and might win a few Vezinas along the way

And I agree

But if we are discussing now, in the NHL, does Shestyorkin's 24 games put him above Blackwood's 76? And specifically Blackwood's last 34 at .924 on a worse team?

 

[Fitzy]

And I agree

But if we are discussing now, in the NHL, does Shestyorkin's 24 games put him above Blackwood's 76? And specifically Blackwood's last 34 at .924 on a worse team?

Tough to try to extrapolate numbers outwards, especially goalie numbers. Blackwood has been very good in front of a questionable Devil's team, and I think your metrics rightly indicate that on a better roster he might have a save percentage consistently in the .920's.

Good news is, NYR and NJD should start to get good around the same time, so we will be able to revisit this debate in a season or two.

I think the thing on Blackwood that makes me caddy is that he wasn't exactly lighting up the AHL- he was entirely mediocre down there. Why the sudden improvement at this level?

 

[Woncka]

Tough to try to extrapolate numbers outwards, especially goalie numbers. Blackwood has been very good in front of a questionable Devil's team, and I think your metrics rightly indicate that on a better roster he might have a save percentage consistently in the .920's.

Good news is, NYR and NJD should start to get good around the same time, so we will be able to revisit this debate in a season or two.

I think the thing on Blackwood that makes me caddy is that he wasn't exactly lighting up the AHL- he was entirely mediocre down there. Why the sudden improvement at this level?

Just my opinion on his jump but I think he finally gained the confidence at the pro level. Really thats everything for a young player right?
Hes a large kid at 6'4" and always had a VERY good eye for the puck. Athletic enough to make diving saves and you have w very good goalie.. if he knows it and puts his mind to it

He did level out in the AHL before coming up so it wasnt exactly a stark transition

 

[Woncka]

@Fitzy , Id also include AHL disparity is much larger than the NHL. And NJ had some BAD teams, very bad.

 

[KirkAlbuquerque]

Definitely the best goalie the Devils have ever had

 

[HBK27]

I think the thing on Blackwood that makes me caddy is that he wasn't exactly lighting up the AHL- he was entirely mediocre down there. Why the sudden improvement at this level?

Goalies are odd and generally take longer to develop & find their game versus skaters. You could also have some minor things off with their mechanics that can completely throw them off.

Blackwood had a decent rookie year in the AHL, but year 2 was not good. His 3rd year he had OK stats, but they were by far better than the 5 other goalies that played for Binghamton that year. During that time the Devils also had some very poor AHL teams - particularly on defense as there are no graduates on defense in the NHL from those Binghamton Devils teams Blackwood was on as NJ's defensive pipeline has been barren until recently (and Ty Smith never played in the AHL).

Not a huge sample size, but look at Brodeur's AHL stats (32 games / 0.884 SV% / 4.03 GAA) compared to his NHL rookie stats the following year (47 games / .915 SV% / 2.40 GAA). Improved numbers from the AHL to NHL happens with a decent amount of young goalies.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Tough to try to extrapolate numbers outwards, especially goalie numbers. Blackwood has been very good in front of a questionable Devil's team, and I think your metrics rightly indicate that on a better roster he might have a save percentage consistently in the .920's.

Good news is, NYR and NJD should start to get good around the same time, so we will be able to revisit this debate in a season or two.

I think the thing on Blackwood that makes me caddy is that he wasn't exactly lighting up the AHL- he was entirely mediocre down there. Why the sudden improvement at this level?

I think Shestyorkin is less raw. He's been elite his whole career everywhere he's played. No real big question marks. Blackwood is more raw. Great size and athleticism. Big potential, and he's now reaching it. Shestyorkin being a better goalie as a prospect doesn't make him a better NHL goalie. However, I think Shestyorkin is also a better NHL goalie. I wouldn't discount Blackwood though because his development was more of a project than Shestyorkin. A lot of eventual very good goalies are projects. Very few are elite their whole career.

 

[HFBS]

What a great analogy. You deff live up to your profile pic on here.

At least somebody gets it.

 

[UnSandvich]

I have him & Shesterkin at about the same level, Shesterkin slightly ahead due to track record. Shesterkin's been elite in every league he's played in to date, Blackwood has been good but not exceptional (his AHL numbers in particular are rather pedestrian).

However both teams are likely set for the long-term with their respective guys.

 

[McDNicks17]

Pshh. He's not even the best goalie on his team.

 

[Pandaman11]

Do you think 24yo Mackenzie Blackwood is the best goaltender in the Metro as of today?

No

 

[Woncka]

No

Tough when the team in front of him has disappeared :/

all good though, lot of time left to rebalance

 

[DarkHorse2]

Weird. It says here that the leader in wins, Sv % and GAA in the Metro is Varlamov. Must be an error.