Free Agent Profile: Nick Blankenburg

The rising tide of the salary cap hasn’t lifted every boat, and one player still waiting for a contract is 28-year-old defenseman Nick Blankenburg. The right-shot blueliner is coming off of the strongest two-year stretch of his professional career, but remains without a deal less than a month away from the start of training camps.

Entering free agency, AFP Analytics projected Blankenburg to receive a two-year contract worth a cap hit of just over $4MM per year. It’s clear now that Blankenburg almost certainly won’t match that projection on the actual deal he receives.

One could make the argument that Blankenburg is the exact kind of player who might get left behind by the rising salary cap and the way it has inflated price tags for players across the league.

On paper, he does have a legitimate argument to be worth the kind of $4MM cap hit AFP projected for him. The former captain of the Michigan Wolverines signed with the Nashville Predators organization in the summer of 2024, and that decision paid real dividends for him in terms of altering the trajectory of his NHL career.

Blankenburg was a full-time NHL player in his rookie season, 2022-23, but lost his spot in 2023-24 and played 24 games in the AHL, compared to just 12 in the NHL. Injuries had taken their toll as well. By the time he hit free agency as a Group VI UFA in the summer of 2024, Blankenburg hadn’t played in more than 40 games in a single season since his days playing junior hockey with the Okotoks Oilers in the AJHL, all the way back in 2017-18.

Blankenburg’s inability to stay healthy contributed to him losing his grip on both an NHL roster spot, and a place in the Blue Jackets organization.

In the summer of 2024, the Nashville Predators signed Blankenburg, likely with the idea that he’d serve as high-level depth for the team’s AHL affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals, while also being a call-up option in case injuries hit Nashville’s NHL roster. His compensation reflected the expectation he’d serve as high-level depth, earning a two-year deal with a $350K guarantee in year one, and a one-way, $775K guarantee for year two.

Once his tenure in Nashville began, Blankenburg proved to be a shrewd signing by GM Barry Trotz and assistant GM Scott Nichol, who serves as GM for Milwaukee. By late November, Blankenburg had played his way out of the AHL, earning a call-up to Nashville’s main roster. He hasn’t been back in the AHL since that recall. Blankenburg quickly earned the trust of head coach Andrew Brunette, going from 14:33 time on ice in his debut for the team to 21:00 in his ninth game for the team, two weeks later.

Blankenburg’s competitiveness and abilities as a puck mover allowed him to climb the Predators’ depth chart, and he finished the season averaging 19:33 time on ice per game, the highest of any Predators defenseman that year not named Roman Josi or Brady Skjei. He even received considerable usage on special teams, averaging 2:20 time on ice per game on the penalty kill, and 1:04 on the power play. He got an extended look on the man advantage after Josi, the team’s captain and entrenched first-unit quarterback, suffered an injury in February that he did not return from.

The following season, 2025-26, Blankenburg was able to pick up where he left off. He averaged nearly 18 minutes of ice time per game, skating over 1:35 per game on each side of special teams. He was able to score 21 points in 49 games (a 38-point 82-game scoring pace) and he ended up traded to the Colorado Avalanche, one of the league’s strongest teams, at the deadline.

While the move to Colorado didn’t go fully as planned, as he didn’t receive the kind of ice time there that he got in Nashville, he nonetheless entered free agency on the strongest footing of his career. But as things stand, Blankenburg still hasn’t landed with a team for 2026-27.

Unfortunately for Blankenburg there have been factors outside of his control that may have sapped the market interest in his services. First and foremost, the fact that Blankenburg stands just 5’9″, 177 pounds means he lacks the prototypical build teams often prioritize when assembling their defense. Although Blankenburg is a competitive player who can punch above his weight, it’s still a relevant factor.

Additionally, the fact that Blankenburg’s most valuable NHL contributions came on one of the league’s weaker rosters is also notable, as he was unable to replicate that kind of impact on one of the league’s contenders. The price tag AFP Analytics attached to him feels more closely aligned with the role he was playing in Nashville, but teams are likely hesitant to pay that kind of price if they’re unsure he can replicate that kind of role on their own roster.

In any case, while Blankenburg’s stay on the UFA market has undoubtedly been disappointing, it’d be a surprise to see him linger on the open market forever. Even if the role he played with the Predators isn’t truly commensurate with his talent level, he still possesses one of the strongest recent track records of any defenseman left in free agency, and he could be a valuable addition to any number of NHL clubs.

Stats

2025-26: 61 GP, 8 G, 16 A, 24 PTS, -10, 10 PIMS, 91 shots, 16:48 ATOI
Career: 176 GP, 18 G, 40 A, 58 PTS, -30, 58 PIMS, 229 shots, 18:13 ATOI

Potential Suitors

Thankfully for Blankenburg, he’s the kind of versatile all-around player that can carve out a role on a team at any stage of the competitive cycle.

If he joins a rebuilder, he can look to do what he did in Nashville, which is soak up top-four minutes through second or third-pairing deployment with regular use in the penalty-kill rotation and even second-unit power play duties. If he joins a contender, he can do what he did in Colorado, which is play as a depth blueliner who provides competitiveness and puck-moving ability on a third-pairing.

Teams in need of versatile defensive depth at a relatively cheap price could gain real value by adding Blankenburg. The Anaheim Ducks are strapped for cap space and lost considerable defensive talent this summer, seeing veterans Jacob Trouba, John Carlson, and Radko Gudas depart on the right side of their blueline alone. Blankenburg isn’t at the level of Trouba or Carlson, for example, but could fill some of the minutes each has vacated at a far lower cap hit.

Another team that could make sense is the Carolina Hurricanes. The right side of their defense is notably thinner than their left, and Alexander Nikishin remains without a contract. If he ends up dealt at some point this season, Blankenburg could be an affordable option to help occupy the minutes he leaves behind.

The Chicago Blackhawks could also be a fit, as they’re slated to rely on a pair of ascending young right-shot defensemen in Sam Rinzel and Artyom Levshunov. Adding Blankenburg would provide the team with capable veteran cover for their right side in case one of those two defenseman endures more growing pains at the NHL level.

Projected Contract

At this stage of the offseason, projecting Blankenburg’s contract is a difficult task. It seems overwhelmingly likely that he won’t come close to the kind of contract AFP Analytics projected him to receive earlier this summer, but that doesn’t mean he’ll have to settle for a league-minimum deal, or even a PTO. Given the minutes he put on his resume over the last two years, his best option could be patience.

Once teams reach training camp, injuries will hit and some teams might see young defensemen they were hoping to take a leap fall short. In those cases, he could become an extremely attractive option as a free agent. But it’s entirely dependent on what happens over the next month, and some luck might be required in order for Blankenburg to be able to cash in before the start of the season.