The Stars are bringing forward Colin Blackwell back to Dallas on a two-year deal worth $775,000 per season, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports.
Blackwell, 32, returns to Dallas as cost-effective depth for a cap-strapped club. The versatile 5’8″ center won a career-high 151 draws for the Stars last year while providing solid depth scoring in a four-line role, posting six goals and 17 points and a plus-four rating in 63 appearances.
After spending the first few years of his pro career in the minors, the high-energy Blackwell has carved out a nice role for himself as a depth scorer, even in a bit of a journeyman role. He’s recorded 91 points in 298 career games with the Predators, Rangers, Kraken, Maple Leafs, Blackhawks, and Stars. If he plays out this deal with Dallas, it’ll be his longest run with a single team.
Dallas now has a cap-compliant roster that they could theoretically roll into next season with no changes. Blackwell brings their roster count up to 21 – 11 forwards and eight defensemen, with $205,084 in space, per PuckPedia. They’ll still likely pursue a cap-clearing trade if possible, but there’s now officially an avenue toward starting the season with a full 20-man roster and at least one injury replacement.
Nill doing well rounding out the roster with low cost but useful players like Blackwell.