Leafs sign Nick Blankenburg to one-year contract

Blankenburg was an unrestricted free agent after his two-year contract, which he signed with the Nashville Predators in July 2024, came to an end this summer. That deal had a league-minimum salary of $775,000.

Blankenburg came to the Maple Leafs’ training camp on a professional tryout. He has clearly done his due diligence to earn a spot on the team’s opening-night roster with his performance over the past week. He appeared in two of the team’s four preseason games, averaging a little over 19 minutes per game. He picked up an assist during Wednesday night’s 4-2 win over the Ottawa Senators and finished the preseason with a plus/minus of -1.

Blankenburg will most likely be used as a seventh defenseman if the Leafs manage to stay healthy this year. With an established top-four of Morgan Rielly, Darren Raddysh, Jake McCabe and Chris Tanev, Blankenburg could circle into the lineup on the third pair, as head coach Jim Hiller could rotate him with Troy Stecher.

It is kind of surprising that Blankenburg went this long without a new contract. The 28-year-old is coming off the best season of his NHL tenure. After an impressive start to the 2025-26 campaign with the Predators, he was traded to the Colorado Avalanche prior to the trade deadline. He scored just two goals and three points in 12 regular-season games with the eventual Presidents’ Trophy winners, and scored a goal in just five Stanley Cup Playoff appearances. Yet, the 5-foot-9 rearguard still set career highs in goals (8), assists (16) and points (24) during the regular season.

In 176 regular-season games in the league, the former Michigan Wolverine has scored 18 goals and 40 assists for 58 points.

The Leafs open their 2026-27 season on Sept. 29 against the Montreal Canadiens.