Nick Blankenburg remains unsigned as of Saturday morning.
The defenseman was acquired by the Colorado Avalanche in March as their seventh defenseman, with Colorado sending a 2027 fifth-round pick to Columbus in the deal.
Advertisement
When Blankenburg first arrived, though, things didn’t exactly go smoothly.
Blankenburg scored his first goal as an Av on the same night that Josh Manson and even head coach Jared Bednar suffered injuries.
At The Hockey News, we pointed out some of the early issues in his game. He was making too many mistakes, jumping too far into the offensive zone and occasionally getting caught out of position. For a player trying to establish himself with a new team, it wasn’t the ideal start.
But somewhere along the way, something clicked.
Blankenburg started playing with more confidence. His skating looked more purposeful. He was making quick, accurate passes, getting pucks out of trouble and showing more of the offensive ability that made him an intriguing player in the first place.
Advertisement
The change was noticeable enough that, following Colorado’s 3-2 overtime loss to the Vegas Golden Knights on April 11, we asked Blankenburg what had changed.
It was also the night he scored his first goal in an Avalanche uniform.
Blankenburg pointed to conversations he had with several teammates who recognized that he was playing a little too cautiously and encouraged him to trust his game.
“Just getting more comfortable. I’ve been having conversations with multiple different people about it,” Blankenburg admitted. “Just trying not to overthink. Trying not to think too much on the ice and just go out and play my game and be assertive and competing. I think the rest will take care of itself.”
Advertisement
It did.
Five days later, Blankenburg scored again, finding the back of the net against the Seattle Kraken in Colorado’s final regular-season game before the playoffs.
Then came the biggest moment of his Avalanche tenure.
Despite receiving limited ice time, Blankenburg made the most of his opportunity in Game 1 of Colorado’s second-round series against the Minnesota Wild. In a wild 9-6 Avalanche victory, he jumped into the offensive zone before Valeri Nichushkin found him with a beautiful backdoor pass.
Blankenburg buried it.
Then he went flying into the glass in celebration.
It wasn’t just his first career playoff goal. His parents, Karl and Karin, were in the stands to see it happen.
Advertisement
For a defenseman who had arrived in Colorado with something to prove, it was another sign that he was starting to find his game at exactly the right time.
And his teammates noticed.
“He’s a good player,” Nathan MacKinnon said. “Obviously he’s undersized, but he battles. He’s got a good shot. He gets picks through the o-zone, which is huge for us. He’s playing well.”
Head Coach Jared Bednar saw much of the same thing.
“He’s a real competitive guy. Smaller in stature but competitive,” Bednar said. “He has the ability to contribute offensively. There’s a lot of similar attributes to say a guy like Sam Malinski. He has the ability to be shifty and hang onto pucks to create shooting lanes in the offensive zone. He has the ability to join the rush.”
Advertisement
That combination is what made Blankenburg such an interesting player for Colorado.
“He’s a difficult match. You don’t see too many guys that can play with the kind of jam that Blankenburg plays with defensively and then still get up and go on the offensive side of it.”
Bednar did have one obvious caveat.
He wanted to see more consistency from Blankenburg, particularly when it came to knowing when to join the rush and when to stay home. His offensive instincts can be an asset, but the Avalanche can’t afford to give up chances the other way because a defenseman got too aggressive looking to make a play.
Advertisement
That, ultimately, may be part of the reason Blankenburg remains unsigned. Or it could be that the Avalanche want to shift a bit towards the physicality side, which the team obviously lacked this past postseason.
However, Blankenburg deserves another shot.
As Mile High Sticking recently suggested, Colorado could simply give Blankenburg a professional tryout contract, commonly known as a PTO.
A PTO doesn’t require the Avalanche to make a significant commitment. It gives Blankenburg a chance to come into training camp, compete for a job and show that the player Colorado saw toward the end of last season is the player he can consistently be.
Advertisement
The Avalanche already know what the downside looks like and Noah Juulsen has already been signed for the next two years, but bringing Blankenburg could fit just fine on the Eagles as well, if he’s willing to play down a level.
Maybe Blankenburg earns a contract. Maybe he doesn’t.
At the very least, he’s earned a PTO.
Read the full article here