Expectations for 2024-25: Playing in his eighth organization in nine pro seasons, Blackwell had to earn everything he got with the Stars last season. The Harvard product who has spent time in the San Jose, Buffalo, Nashville, New York Rangers, Seattle, Toronto and Chicago systems, gained the trust of the coaching staff and became a hard player to scratch for most of the season. While his offensive skill probably slotted him below players like Evgenii Dadonov and his age made him less of a building block than Oskar Bäck or Mavrik Bourque, Blackwell often found himself in the lineup ahead of those players. His speed and his chemistry with Steel (and Bäck and Bourque) gave the old coaching staff plenty of reasons to play Blackwell. He’ll have to earn that trust again, but with players such as Dadonov and Mikael Granlund departed, Blackwell might actually find opportunities further up in the lineup because of his speed and skill. His overtime game-winner in Game 2 of the First Round against Colorado is a good reminder that he can change a game at any point with his intangibles. That said, he’s pretty good as a gritty, defensive fourth-liner and likely can grab more games and more minutes (he averaged 11:34 in his first season with Dallas) in that same role this year.
