Jared Bednar isn’t looking for another goalie tandem with the Avalanche

Mackenzie Blackwood and Scott Wedgewood shared the net last season for the Colorado Avalanche, and it worked out so well during the regular season that they combined to win the William M. Jennings Trophy en route to the team’s Presidents’ Trophy.

But the good play slowed, then stopped, in the postseason.

Jared Bednar rode Wedgewood through a first-round sweep of the Los Angeles Kings and into the second round against the Minnesota Wild, where the 33-year-old was pulled in a 5-1 Game 3 loss after allowing three goals on 12 shots. Blackwood came in and looked solid in relief, but the goaltending carousel carried into the Western Conference Final, where the Golden Knights swept Colorado in four games to end the season.

Ideally, this season will be nothing like last year because Blackwood will be the guy — and that’s according to Bednar himself, who spoke Wednesday at Avalanche media day ahead of training camp.

“Clean slate, to be determined,” Bednar said. “I think the offseason — injuries, surgery, missing training camp — that kinda set Mackenzie back a little bit last year, and he worked extremely hard to get back on top of his game. This year he had an incredible offseason. Our staff has been in touch with him through the summer and he put in a tremendous amount of work to come in the best shape of his life. He’s excited about the season and we’ll see where it all goes. But I’m excited for him and the season he has the potential to have.”

Here’s Jared Bednar giving a nice endorsement of Mackenzie Blackwood when asked about the Avalanche’s goalie situation this year. No clear commitment to him or Scott Wedgewood as the starter, but optimism. pic.twitter.com/L8HfUL2RuB

— Will Petersen (@PetersenWill) September 16, 2026

Blackwood, 29, was traded to Colorado from the San Jose Sharks in December 2024 and signed a five-year, $26.25 million extension shortly after. He was supposed to be the answer in net — but offseason surgery forced him to miss the first month of the 2025-26 season, and Wedgewood seized the opportunity with a career year: 31 wins, a league-best 2.02 goals-against average and a .921 save percentage.

When Blackwood finally got healthy, he posted the best GAA of his career at 2.51 and won 23 games, but the tandem that worked so well in the regular season never found its footing once the stakes rose.

Now, with a full, healthy offseason behind him for the first time since arriving in Colorado, Bednar wants to see Blackwood take the leap the organization envisioned when it committed to him long term.

“Ideally, I’d love Mackenzie to come out and play incredible and build on his offseason and be the starter of the team. That’s why he’s here and why we signed him,” Bednar said. “I think his potential is through the roof and we haven’t seen the best of him yet. I think he’s got another step he can take and I think he can do that this year. He’s putting himself in a good spot to do that.

“But you have to stay flexible. This league has a way of humbling you, and last year he wasn’t in a great spot coming into camp and Wedge seized the opportunity and played incredible. I think they can push one another; they have a great relationship. We’ll stay flexible, but ideally, you want Mackenzie to have a great start and year and to build his game to a point — he’s at the right age, level and experience and in incredible condition. I think he has the ability to have an incredible year for us this year.”

The Avalanche also have a wild card in the works. Ilya Nabokov, a 23-year-old goaltender who was named the KHL playoff MVP in 2023-24, signed a two-year entry-level contract with Colorado in May and is expected to start the season with the AHL’s Colorado Eagles. If the Avs decide to split up the pair, Nabokov could see the ice.

But Bednar’s message Wednesday was clear: This is Blackwood’s net to win. The Avalanche didn’t invest $26.25 million for a tandem.

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