Sunday afternoon brought word that the Toronto Maple Leafs are expected to sign Nick Blankenburg to a one-year, $1.4M contract.
The undrafted defenseman came to camp on a professional tryout, with no guarantee of anything. Tuesday's season opener against the Montreal Canadiens is two days away.
Nobody should shrug at the raise. His previous deal carried a $775,000 cap hit, so Toronto is nearly doubling his number for a single season.
It's a short leash, too. The contract sets him up for unrestricted free agency in 2027 at age 29. Pat Brisson of CAA Hockey represents him.
So what exactly are the Leafs buying? Last season came in two chapters, starting with 49 games in Nashville where he put up 21 points but went minus-11.
Colorado got a cleaner version. He finished his stint with the Avalanche at plus-1 and kept a spot in the lineup into the postseason.
Five playoff games, one goal. Small sample. Still, a right-shot depth defenseman with spring hockey on his record doesn't usually walk into camp on a tryout.
Toronto's blue line gets a cheap right-shot insurance policy
Career-wise, he's logged 176 NHL games and 58 points across stops in Columbus, Nashville and Colorado. That's a real résumé for a kid who went undrafted out of Michigan.
Size is the obvious knock. He's listed at 5'9" and 176 pounds, and that frame gets tested every single night along the boards.
What Toronto gets is a right shot with NHL miles on him. Think of him as the spare tire in the trunk: nobody brags about it, but you're stuck on the shoulder without one.
Jim Hiller, hired as head coach on June 17, now has one more right-handed option to shuffle on the back end.
The money matters in this market. With Auston Matthews at $13.25M and William Nylander at $11.5M, every depth dollar gets picked apart on talk radio.
This is the right call. Blankenburg earned a contract in camp, the term carries zero long-term risk, and Toronto didn't have to give up an asset to land him.
The Leafs wrapped up their exhibition slate with a 4-2 win in Ottawa on Wednesday, their second straight victory heading into the regular season.
Now comes the harder part. Somebody on that blue line loses a sweater if he dresses Tuesday, and Hiller hasn't said who that somebody is.
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Should Nick Blankenburg dress for the Maple Leafs on opening night?
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