Grading Toronto Maple Leafs Forwards
Colin Blackwell
Colin Blackwell was acquired from the Seattle Kraken along with Giordano at the trade deadline.
That trade worked out spectacularly, but more so because of the rejuvenated Mark Giordano (who immediately made a big difference). Blackwell? He wasn’t bad, but he didn’t exactly make much of an impact either.
He only recorded three points in 19 games for the Toronto Maple Leafs. His defensive play was his best asset for Toronto. His possession numbers could have been better, but he gave Toronto a complete effort.
Unfortunately, no forward on the Leafs who played as much as Blackwell did last year put up worse numbers. His possession numbers were the worst on the team, and only Kyle Clifford had worse expected goals.
Blackwell’s defensive play was sub-par in the playoffs. Overall, he was not successful in his stint with the Leafs and that is why he now plays with the Chicago Blackhawks.