The Toronto Maple Leafs made a late-summer splash by signing defenseman Nick Blankenburg to a professional try-out (PTO). The 5-foot-9, right-handed blueliner is going to attend training camp next week and will be hoping to secure a contract out of it.
If the Leafs do sign the 28-year-old defenseman to a deal, could we then see a corresponding trade?
Ultimately, getting to watch and really get the first chance to sign Blankenburg if he shows up well in training camp, is an incredibly smart move. He's seen as a real analytical darling of the league who has, just because of his height, not really gotten a chance to be anything beyond being a depth blueliner. Maybe that's all he is, but he probably deserves a bigger shout or at the very least, a contract and a stable team.
Blankenburg has now played for three different teams since the Columbus Blue Jackets signed him as an undrafted college free agent in 2022, most recently lacing up for the Colorado Avalanche after his deadline trade from the Nashville Predators. And for some reason, he was still left unsigned until the Leafs scooped him up for a try-out just last week. At the very least, he could play as a No. 5 on every single team in the league.
So, maybe, Leafs general manager John Chayka never believed they could be a real contender for Blankenburg and thought he would have signed by now. He's basically free money now, but ultimately, does someone have to then go if the 28-year-old signs?
Do the Leafs have to choose between some defensemen? Is a trade coming?
The Maple Leafs have seven defensemen signed to contracts on their NHL roster right now and after Max Domi heads to the LTIR, will have just about enough cap space to sign Blankenburg to a league-minimum deal. It can work financially -- that's no problem. But, what about those seven existing guys?
The Leafs would also technically have room on their roster, since Domi to LTIR would mean one more space opens up, and that can be filled by their eighth defenseman. That might not even be necessary, though.
The one wrinkle is that Chris Tanev is still experiencing some problems in his recovery from a devestating injury. The team doctors have still not approved his return to action and whether or not he's on the ice when training camp starts next week is still in question.
If Tanev remains out, then Blankenburg's addition is easy. Someone like a Troy Stecher will be in a rotation for that No. 6 spot on the blue line, and maybe Emil Andrae will also take some time to earn regular minutes under Jim Hiller.
But there is still a massive question even when Tanev returns.
The Leafs' blue line is fairly small, especially towards the bottom. Having a trio of Blankenburg, Andrae, and Stecher is probably not ideal for any team in the NHL, with all of them being 5-foot-10 or shorter. If Blankenburg shows off at training camp and is truly deserving a full-time spot, is someone like Andrae's spot on the team in jeopardy? Could a mid-camp trade happen to forego having this size issue on the back end, especially if Tanev come back?
Chayka is most likely comfortable having a bunch of depth defensemen in stiff competition for some minutes. Making a move just because of their height is probably not something that the Leafs want to do, but it also opens up the option that there might just be too many defensemen who play a very similar style
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