Nashville Predators Grades: Colin Blackwell Makes Case For Roster Spot

There were many disappointing spots on the Nashville Predators roster this season, but Colin Blackwell wasn’t one of them. He took advantage.

A lot of creativity and roster shuffling was need this season for the Nashville Predators. They were scrambling to find the right combinations due to key injuries, and quite frankly players just not playing up to the level needed.

When this happens, players from the AHL can get a chance to make a splash on the NHL level and show their worth. If the team was clicking on all levels, then these players sometimes never get a chance to shine.

Colin Blackwell responded to the call-up in a big way and showed that he can be relied upon on when needed. But did he show enough to start on the NHL roster Day 1 at the opening of next season?

Blackwell boosted bottom six

In a point of the season when the Predators were really struggling, Blackwell came in and produced high-quality minutes on the ice. He didn’t pile on the goals, but he made a difference in other important areas like forechecking, defensive pressure and effective puck movement.

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Blackwell only had six games of NHL experience coming into this season. He’s 27-years-old, but has never really gotten the lengthy amount of playing time on the NHL level.

Unlike many superstar prospects that burst onto the NHL scene in their early 20’s, Blackwell has gone the long road. And now he’s getting the chance to make a big presence known on the Nashville Predators.

Blackwell’s number first got called this season on December 14th against Dallas, and he wasn’t shy about getting involved in the game. In fact, he managed at least one shot on goal in six of his first seven games.

As you would expects, Blackwell’s ice time was limited early on. However, his strong play gradually increased his ice time to usually around 11 to 12 minutes per game.

Blackwell’s hits and blocks were respectable as well, and eventually he started logging some assists and getting more involved in the offense.

Easy player to root for

I really respect Blackwell’s journey to where he is now. He put in four years of hard work at Harvard University before heading to the AHL for three seasons after being drafted 194th overall all the way back in 2011.

Blackwell has gradually improved his game to the point where he can get NHL minutes and help his NHL team. That team will hopefully be the Nashville Predators for the foreseeable future.

This current season for Blackwell has really boosted his NHL stock. He’s not a top-six player by any means, but he can definitely be an effective fourth-line player when injuries are plaguing the roster and you need defensive-minded forwards.

Even if there are no injuries, you can easily argue that Blackwell deserves a roster spot on the Predators more so than a few other players that haven’t lived up to expectations. Austin Watson comes to mind mostly in that regard.

Blackwell is a pending free agent this upcoming offseason, and the Predators should do what they can to keep him. However, it’s going to be difficult because there are several key free agents that the Predators have to figure out what do with, like Mikael Granlund and Craig Smith.

Depending on what Blackwell commands in terms of salary, the Predators may not be able to retain him. He played well enough to gain the attention of other NHL teams on the open market.

Blackwell gets a respectable grade from me because he did help the Predators keep from completely falling apart when he was called up in mid-December. He certainly didn’t add to the problem.

I’m not sure if Blackwell will ever be a full-time regular on the NHL level, but he certainly showed that you can call him up and he can play quality minutes in a fourth line capacity. Those players are sometimes just as valuable as your top-six player. You need quality depth in this league.

I hope the Predators can keep Blackwell on the team for a moderate price, but that may be difficult if another team out there wants him more.