Major: a very promising goaltender available for free for Kent Hughes and the Montreal Canadiens

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Elias Edmonson
June 9, 2023 (9:30)

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For several hours now, many experts have been linking the name of Carter Hart to the Montreal Canadiens, and it's certainly an interesting path, but it's also an extremely expensive one.

Carter Hart will cost a lot to acquire.

In the last few minutes, the reputed Frank Seravalli just offered a much cheaper solution to Kent Hughes. A solution that deserves to be looked into.

Seravalli practically confirmed that New Jersey Devils goalie MacKenzie Blackwood won't be receiving a qualifying offer. He will therefore become a free agent.

Exclusive: Blackwood is by far the most likely player to not receive a qualifying offer this spring.

Only two years ago, he was considered one of the promising goalies in the world, but Blackwood's value has steadily dropped due to a combination of injuries and inconsistent performances.

Over the past three years, he has played 82 games with a save percentage of .897. The Devils might try to find a buyer willing to give Blackwood a chance in exchange for a late draft pick, but every team knows he will otherwise become an unrestricted free agent.

Would you trade a 6th or 7th round pick for Blackwood? If not, would you offer him a 2 or 3-year contract with an annual value of 1.5 to 2.5 million dollars as a free agent?

It's worth being studied by Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton!

Blackwood, 26, is a 6-foot-4, 225-pound monster. He was incredible in his first two NHL seasons at 21 and 22 years old, with save percentages of .918.