Mackenzie Blackwood Addresses Vaccination Status | FEATURE

At the start of training camp, Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald shared that just one player on his roster had not yet been vaccinated for against Covid-19.
Today it was revealed that Mackenzie Blackwood is that player; and he met with the media to address his current status.
While Blackwood wouldn't go into any specifics on why he is not yet vaccinated, it's a decision he has described as wanting to take his time with, but also wants to make clear that he has not yet ruled it out.
"I've just been working through the process of it from a health standpoint, and just kind of (am) checking off my boxes with that first," Blackwood said today.

There will be a different set of rules this season for Blackwood, as well as other unvaccinated players in the NHL. They range from a mask mandate to not being able to leave the team hotel while on the road. There is also a restriction on travel into Canada. Unvaccinated players are not permitted to accompany their teams to games in Canada. The Devils play nine games this season north of the border, and while Blackwood wouldn't give a definitive answer on when or if he'll make a final determination on getting vaccinated, he has looked at the calendar.
"Yeah, I've looked at the calendar, I've kind of seen where we travel to places where that could be an issue," he said. "I have a couple things that personally (I'm) making sure I take care of at the moment, it's definitely something that I'm thinking about every single day so it's not like I haven't been thinking about this a lot, it's front and center in my life right now."
While he works through his own process, he feels supported by the team and his teammates, aware that his current vaccination status creates added precautions and burdens. He has acknowledged that the restrictions required and put in place for him do create a challenge for everyone.

"I'm not trying to be a distraction to them while I work through it," Blackwood shared. "I am really lucky to have a great set of teammates that support me no matter what, whether they agree or disagree with me.
"It's tough for me to be in the situation I'm in, because it puts a little bit of strain on my teammates and staff around me, which I don't enjoy, and I don't like being the cause of that."
Head coach Lindy Ruff addressed the situation after Tuesday's scrimmage, emphasizing that Blackwood's decision does "not change anything at all" for him short-term. Ruff said that the team will do what it needs to in order to get Blackwood between the pipes and ready to play. As the team addresses this current reality, he expects Mackenzie and everyone around the team to follow the protocol outlined and "play by the rules."
It was also revealed today that Blackwood had offseason surgery on his heel in June, a procedure that is healing well through his rehab process. He played in two periods of the final scrimmage game, and his heel is starting to feel normal again.
"I think I'm on track, just waiting for the last little bit of explosiveness and strength to come back to my ankle," he said, "but I feel like you know my reads, positioning, hands, tracking, all that are right on top of things, so I feel like I'm in a good spot to continue to grow and I think that the start of the season I'll be in good shape."