TEMPE, Ariz. — On the one hand, Blackhawks forward Colin Blackwell has accepted he could be moved before the trade deadline Friday. He’s on his fifth team in five full NHL seasons. He knows how this business works.
On the other hand, Blackwell unequivocally doesn’t want to be traded, and there are a couple of key reasons why.
For one thing, his wife, Lauren, is pregnant with their first child. Blackwell’s contract with the Hawks expires in July, and Lauren’s due date isn’t until August. They live in Milwaukee, so staying in Chicago would provide stability. It’s especially preferable not to have to move twice — this week and again this summer.
“I don’t really worry about myself anymore, but [the pregnancy is] the most stressful part,” Blackwell said Tuesday. “The only thing I worry about is the family around me and how much stuff like that affects them, whether they read [about the rumors] or something does happen.”
Secondly, Blackwell doesn’t exactly enjoy the “journeyman” label. Some longevity with one organization would be nice.
“Throughout my career, I always end up changing teams when I finally feel comfortable and I feel like I’ve got the coaches’ and players’ trust around me,” he said.
It happened in 2021, when the Kraken selected him in the expansion draft after his breakout season with the Rangers. It happened in 2022, when the Kraken dealt him to the Maple Leafs at the deadline as part of a bigger trade involving teammate Mark Giordano — a move Giordano knew about in advance and had to not share with Blackwell.
A trade this week would be a similar disruption. Blackwell has finally found a rhythm with the Hawks over the last few months after struggling last season and missing nearly a full year with a sports hernia.
On that note, the Hawks’ patience and flexibility during his longer-than-expected recovery seem to have further cemented his dedication to the team.
Since returning Dec. 19, he had eight points (five goals and three assists) in 32 games entering Tuesday while averaging more than one hit per game and generating the Hawks’ best shot-attempt ratio during five-on-five play (48.0%). He has also contributed to a penalty kill that ranked fourth in the NHL entering Tuesday with a 84.8% kill rate since Jan. 5.
“[He’s a] spark plug for us,” coach Luke Richardson said. “He gives you all he’s got, and he’s a great penalty killer as well. ... He’s a really good utility tool for any team. I wouldn’t be surprised if somebody calls about him. [But] we’re happy to keep him, too — or I am.”
Blackwell seems tailor-made for the playoffs with a gritty style, occasional out-of-the blue goals and a quick tongue (Richardson has joked about how fired-up he can get on the bench). He has only experienced the NHL postseason once, during the Leafs’ first-round exit in 2022. But he’s not looking at the situation that way.
“I’m happy where I am,” Blackwell said. “It’s not something I’m trying to think about. I’m grateful to put on an Original Six franchise sweater every single night. I’m grateful for the opportunity I have here. This is somewhere I would like to be.
“I’m finally feeling that comfort, which is hard to do ... when you bounce around.”
Across the NHL, deadline week has been mostly quiet so far, but Richardson speculated that the Golden Knights’ acquisition of Capitals forward Anthony Mantha on Tuesday could prompt some teams to seek last-minute additions, creating ways for the Hawks to fit in. Blackwell and forward Tyler Johnson are the most likely to be moved.
