The Toronto Maple Leafs have reportedly invited an interesting free agent defenseman to their training camp. According to the Boston Globe's Kevin Paul Dupont, defenseman Nick Blankenburg will be attending the Maple Leafs' training camp on a professional tryout (PTO) agreement. "Nick Blankenburg, defenseman, 28, Toronto: Undersized, ex- of UMichigan (from the Johnny Beecher days), played for both Colorado and Nashville last season," Dupont wrote.
"Small, but mobile, an insurance play by new GM John Chayka, looking for options if Chris Tanev still needs time to recover from March surgery to fix a core injury." With the Maple Leafs needing more depth on the right side of their defense, it makes sense that they are taking a chance on Blankenburg with a PTO. He will provide them with another defenseman with a good amount of NHL experience to watch during training camp. Blankenburg certainly has the potential to earn a contract from this PTO, too.
The 28-year-old defenseman is coming off a strong 2025-26 season, as he set career high with eight goals, 16 assists and 24 points in 60 games split between the Nashville Predators and Colorado Avalanche. With numbers like these, he could be a nice addition to Toronto's blueline if they end up signing him for the season through his PTO.
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