Giordano and Blackwell Leafs jersey numbers revealed; here's where they could slot in
The trade deadline has come and gone, and the Leafs may not have made the biggest push on the final day for trades, but there's no doubt that the Leafs enter the week a better team than they were last week with the additions of Mark Giordano and Colin Blackwell on Sunday.
Giordano may be advanced in age, but he's also advanced in defensive aptitude and a clear upgrade over the departed Travis Dermott. A clear upgrade there.
In Blackwell, the Leafs acquired an ultra-competitive player who thrives on his work ethic and embraces playing that grinding style that Leafs fans clearly enjoy (see Bunting, Hyman and Tucker, Roberts before them). He may stand just 5'9, but he is an absolute UNIT at nearly 200 lbs and us not often out-worked.
It is expected that both Gio and Blackwell will join the Leafs for practice on Tuesday ahead of Wednesday's Next Gen game against the New Jersey Devils. In terms of what numbers they'll don in Toronto, since #5 is retired (Barilko), Giordano will wear #55. Blackwell's #43 is currently in use by veteran winger Kyle Clifford, so he'll go with #11, most recently worn by former fan favourite Zach Hyman.
Both players, barring injury or illness, are expected to make their Leafs debuts on Wednesday in front of a packed house at Scotiabank Arena. We could see a Mark Giordano - T.J. Brodie reunion, which is exciting to think about, but we could also see Gio begin his tenure as a Leaf on the bottom pair as he becomes acclimated with the system, much like we saw with fellow newcomer Ilya Lyubushkin, who has now risen to the top pair alongside Morgan Rielly.
As far as Blackwell goes, I'd imagine that Keefe will start him out on the 4th line. In terms of which position he'll play, Blackwell can play either wing or center, so it will really come down to Keefe's preference. The great thing about the 28-year-old is that he can play up and down the lineup depending on the matchup. He has shown in the past an ability to thrive alongside skilled players higher in the lineup, as he played with Artemi Panarin in New York not long ago. He could slot in on the 2nd line LW with John Tavares and William Nylander eventually.
| POLL | ||
MARS 22 | 230 ANSWERS Giordano and Blackwell Leafs jersey numbers revealed; here's where they could slot in Where do you want to see Colin Blackwell play for the Leafs? | ||
| 4th line center | 31 | 13.5 % |
| 4th line LW | 42 | 18.3 % |
| 2nd line LW | 102 | 44.3 % |
| 3rd line LW | 55 | 23.9 % |
| List of polls | ||
