The Maple Leafs gave Nick Blankenburg a contract on Sunday after the defenseman made the most of his opportunity at training camp.
That makes the signing easy to explain.
Blankenburg played well enough to earn it.
But there is probably more to this move than simply rewarding a player for having a strong camp. For the Maple Leafs, this is also a fairly obvious insurance move on a blue line that could use another reliable option.
That becomes particularly important when looking at the age and injury history of Toronto’s defense corps.
Chris Tanev is the obvious example. The veteran defenseman missed most of last season after suffering a significant injury that eventually required surgery, appearing in only 11 games. At 36, there is no reason for the Maple Leafs to assume that he will play every game this season without something going wrong.
That does not mean Toronto expects another injury.
It simply means the team has to be prepared for one.
And that is where Blankenburg comes in.
Blankenburg Gives the Maple Leafs Valuable Insurance
The most valuable thing about Blankenburg might not be any one particular skill.
It is the fact that he can do a little bit of everything.
Blankenburg is a natural right-shot defenseman, which immediately makes him useful on a Toronto blue line that has spent plenty of time searching for reliable options on that side. But he has also shown the ability to play on the left, giving the Maple Leafs considerably more flexibility when injuries force the coaching staff to start moving pieces around.
That matters.
If Tanev goes down again, Toronto does not necessarily have to completely restructure its defense. Blankenburg can slide into the lineup and give the team another right-handed option.
The same applies if another veteran needs a night off or misses an extended stretch.
And Blankenburg is not simply a stay-at-home defenseman who can be thrown into the lineup when necessary. He can move the puck, skate well enough to support the transition game and make a reasonable first pass.
That gives the Maple Leafs something they have not always had enough of in recent years: depth that actually fits what they want to do.
There is a difference between having an extra defenseman and having an extra defenseman the club actually trusts.
Blankenburg appears to be moving toward the second category.
That does not mean he is suddenly going to become a top-four defenseman. The Maple Leafs do not need that, either.
They need someone who can play 12-15 minutes when necessary, move up the lineup when injuries strike and avoid turning one injury into a much bigger problem.
That is exactly the kind of player a team with playoff ambitions should want.
Toronto Got Blankenburg at the Right Price
There is another part of the signing that makes it particularly useful for Toronto.
Blankenburg did not cost the Maple Leafs much.
The defenseman signed a one-year contract worth $1.4 million, giving Toronto an NHL-caliber depth option without committing significant money or term.
For a team constantly working around the salary cap, that matters.
The Maple Leafs can put Blankenburg into the lineup when they need him without having to worry about a substantial long-term financial commitment. If he spends stretches of the season outside the lineup, the contract does not become some massive problem.
And there is another possibility worth keeping in mind.
If Toronto somehow finds itself out of the playoff picture by the trade deadline, Blankenburg could become an interesting trade chip.
An inexpensive defenseman on an expiring contract who can play both sides is the sort of asset that could attract attention from a contender looking for depth.
Nobody in Toronto is thinking about that right now, though.
The plan is not to sell at the deadline. The plan is to make the playoffs.
And if that happens, Blankenburg could become even more valuable.
The regular season is going to test Toronto’s depth. The playoffs will test it even more.
Veterans are going to miss games. Players are going to get banged up. Coaches are going to need someone they can trust when the lineup inevitably changes.
Blankenburg gives the Maple Leafs another answer.
Maybe that is why this signing is more important than it initially looks.
Yes, it is a reward for a strong training camp.
But it is also Toronto making sure it has another piece in place before it actually needs him.
Maple Leafs Signing Blankenburg Is About More Than Depth