Colin Blackwell’s second season in Dallas looked a lot like his first: steady, useful, and built around doing the hard stuff. The 33-year-old forward gave the Stars exactly the kind of dependable fourth-line presence they wanted, and he did it while bouncing between center and wing whenever called upon.
Blackwell finished the 2025-26 regular season with 4 goals, 11 assists and 15 points in 70 games, while averaging 11:54 of ice time. His 11 assists matched the career high he set in his first year with Dallas, and his 15 points were the fourth-most he’s posted in a season. In the playoffs, he went without a point in six games, but still logged 11:55 a night, added 5 shots and delivered 17 hits.
The impact showed up well beyond the box score. Blackwell reclaimed his place as one of the team’s most trusted penalty killers, skating 2:04 shorthanded per game - just 14 seconds behind Oskar Bäck for the team lead among forwards. He also brought plenty of physical edge, setting a career high with 112 hits, which ranked fourth on the Stars, and finishing with 37 blocks, fifth among Dallas forwards.
That kind of versatility mattered even more when injuries piled up after the Olympic break. Blackwell became a regular part of Glen Gulutzan’s lineup down the stretch, appearing in 24 of the club’s final 25 games and reaching a career-high 70 games played.
Dallas brought him back on July 1, 2025 with a two-year deal that averages $812,500, and the arrangement was meant to work for everyone. The Stars got a rugged, flexible fourth-liner who can also serve as the 13th forward and plays much bigger than his listed 5-8, 181 frame. Blackwell got term and stability with a contender after spending the previous five seasons with six different teams.
The expectation entering 2026-27 is that the fit stays strong. Blackwell has already found a way to leave his mark in big moments for Dallas.
In April 2025, he scored the overtime winner in Game 2 against the Avalanche after being a healthy scratch in Game 1. This past spring, he landed a thunderous neutral-zone hit on Wild forward Yakov Trenin in Game 2, helping stir the crowd and the Stars on the way to a win that tied the series.
Trenin was listed as 6 inches taller and 20 pounds heavier than Blackwell, and he led the NHL in regular-season hits with 413. Blackwell going right after him said plenty about the way he plays. That willingness to lean into contact, win puck battles and bring energy every shift is exactly why Dallas re-signed him and why he should still have a clear role in the season ahead.