Blankenburg eyes Maple Leafs debut against Avalanche

Defenseman missed Toronto's first five games of the season.

Wire Report IntelligenceUpdated 3h1 min read

What happened: Nick Blankenburg could make his Toronto Maple Leafs debut on Saturday against the Colorado Avalanche at Ball Arena. He secured a one-year, $1.4 million contract on Sept. 27 after initially arriving on a professional tryout.

Why it matters: The potential lineup addition comes against the franchise that acquired Blankenburg at last season's trade deadline. Colorado opted not to retain him in free agency, instead signing Noah Juulsen. Juulsen dressed in the Avalanche's 7-3 road win over the Calgary Flames on Thursday after head coach Jared Bednar benched Sam Malinski.

By the numbers: Blankenburg posted eight goals and 16 assists between the Nashville Predators and Avalanche last season. He recorded two goals and an assist in 12 regular-season games for Colorado and scored once in five playoff appearances against the Minnesota Wild. Toronto enters the scheduled matchup at 6-11 this season, while Colorado sits at 15-12.

What to watch: The game is scheduled for 5 p.m. at Ball Arena. It remains unknown if the Maple Leafs will place him in the lineup.

Sources

Yahoo NHL 2026-10-10T13:50:25.602225+00:00

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