Here's what the Leafs are getting in Colin Blackwell
While the details of the blockbuster trade the Leafs and Kraken made were revealed in excruciatingly slow fashion on Sunday, the name Colin Blackwell being revealed added a different dynamic to the deal and has the potential to pay off for the Leafs.
Of course, Blackwell being 5'9 enraged a certain part of the fanbase, but a quick look into his game shows that he's not the «small skill guy» many are painting him as. Blackwell isn't a huge scoring threat, but he's tallied 8 goals and 9 assists this season, including 2 shorthanded goals. His 57 hits aren't too shabby either.
Blackwell is a speedy forward who can play the wing or center, kill penalties, and isn't afraid of the dirty areas. He plays a simple but energetic north south game and scores most of his goals in tight. His defensive metrics are quite strong as well. If you recall the last time the Leafs played Seattle, Blackwell scored a beautiful shorthanded goal on Jack Campbell.
Blackwell will likely slot into the LW spot on the 4th line for the Leafs, but some have suggested that Sheldon Keefe will give him a couple of games with Tavares and Nylander to see if he can be that line's version of Michael Bunting.
Blackwell may be seen as a throw in, but if the reaction from Seattle fans is anything to go by, the Leafs picked up a sneaky good player here. Former Leaf and Hockey analyst Dominic Moore also chimed in with words of praise for Blackwell.
Blackwell is currently sitting on 17 points this season. Here's a video of each one of them that will give you a pretty good indication of what the Leafs are getting in the ultra-competitive 28-year-old.
https://mobile.twitter.com/mitch_giguere/status/1505652727631777792?s=21
| POLL | ||
MARS 22 | 482 ANSWERS Here's what the Leafs are getting in Colin Blackwell Will Colin Blackwell be an impact player for the Leafs in the playoffs? | ||
| Yes, he's a quality player | 218 | 45.2 % |
| Not sure he even makes the lineup | 89 | 18.5 % |
| I'm just happy we got Giordano | 90 | 18.7 % |
| Don't care, just win! | 85 | 17.6 % |
| List of polls | ||
