The Maple Leafs Give a Hard-Working Player Another Chance

There are certain hockey players who seem to spend their entire careers answering the same question: Are you good enough? Nick Blankenburg has been one of those players. At 5-foot-9, he was never going to get the benefit of the doubt that comes with being a big defenceman. He has had to earn his opportunities, keep earning them and then earn them again. That makes his professional tryout with the Maple Leafs a little more interesting than the average PTO.

With Tanev’s health in question, signing Blankenburg makes perfect sense.

On the surface, this is a sensible hockey move. Toronto needs some insurance on the blue line, particularly with Chris Tanev’s health still something of an unknown. The Maple Leafs also spent last season looking for more mobility from their defencemen and have tried to address that with Darren Raddysh and Emil Andrae. Blankenburg fits the same general idea: he can skate, move the puck and make decisions under pressure. He’s a right-shot defenceman who can play in different situations, which makes him useful even if he never becomes a regular.

But the more interesting part is what happens when a player like this walks into training camp. Blankenburg isn't arriving with a guaranteed contract or a guaranteed place in the lineup. He knows exactly what is at stake. Players who have spent their careers fighting for opportunities tend to understand something that established players sometimes forget: every shift is an audition. That can create a different kind of urgency.

Blankenburg can bring that urgency to the Maple Leafs roster.

The Maple Leafs could actually use some of that. Last season's collapse wasn't simply about talent. Too many nights, the team looked like it expected things to work themselves out. Bringing in players who believe every shift has to be earned can change the atmosphere around a room, even if those players don't end up playing major minutes.

And that’s why this PTO is worth watching. Maybe Blankenburg earns a contract. Maybe he doesn't. Maybe he becomes a seventh defenceman or spends most of the season with the Marlies. The point is that Toronto has given itself another option—and given a player who’s spent his career proving people wrong another chance to prove somebody else right.

Can Blankenburg make a difference with the Maple Leafs?

Sometimes the most interesting player in training camp isn't the one with the biggest contract. Sometimes it's the guy standing at the door, waiting for somebody to give him a chance. Because if Blankenburg can make a difference, that will be huge value added to the team.