Maple Leafs Nick Blankenburg Earned a Bigger Chance

Sometimes the best compliment you can give a defenceman is that you didn't notice him. That was my reaction to Nick Blankenburg during the Toronto Maple Leafs' 6-3 win over the Colorado Avalanche. That might sound strange considering Blankenburg scored on his first shift of the season to give Toronto a 1-0 lead. But after that, he seemed to disappear.

I mean that as a compliment.

Blankenburg Was Suddenly Needed by the Maple Leafs.

Maple Leafs head coach Jim Hiller elected to dress seven defencemen against Colorado, a decision that proved fortunate. Chris Tanev left the game after playing just 3:29, forcing Toronto's other defencemen to absorb his minutes. At the end of the game, I remember thinking Blankenburg couldn't have played very much because I hardly noticed him. When I checked afterward, I was surprised to discover he had played 16:11.

For a depth defenceman playing his first NHL game of the season and unexpectedly being asked to take on additional responsibility, that's pretty much what you want. Blankenburg scored a goal and then gave me very little reason to think about him.  No glaring mistakes. No repeated defensive breakdowns. No moments that made you wonder why he was on the ice. 

He just played.

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Tanev's Injury Changes Things for Toronto.

What happened after the game makes Blankenburg's performance more important. The Maple Leafs have placed Tanev on injured reserve and recalled Marshall Rifai from the Toronto Marlies. That means Tanev will miss at least the next three games. Rifai gives Toronto another option, but Blankenburg and Troy Stecher will likely get the initial opportunity to stay in the lineup, with Rifai providing additional depth.

There is another concern. Oliver Ekman-Larsson hasn't looked 100 percent recently. He left the game against the Vegas Golden Knights before returning to action and then played just 14:25 against Colorado. Suddenly Toronto's defensive depth is being tested very early in the season.

Blankenburg Has Earned Another Look by the Maple Leafs Coaching Staff.

Nobody is going to suggest Blankenburg can replace what Tanev brings to the Maple Leafs. That's not the point. Toronto needed Blankenburg to step into a larger role unexpectedly against one of the NHL's most dangerous teams. He responded with a goal, played more than 16 minutes and didn't give Hiller many reasons to worry about putting him back on the ice.

For a depth defenceman, that's a successful night. Blankenburg entered the Colorado game as Toronto's seventh defenceman. With Tanev now on injured reserve, he may have left Colorado as something considerably more important.

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