DENVER, Colo. — Fewer than 48 hours before to the NHL trade deadline, the Colorado Avalanche added blue-line depth on Wednesday.
According to our news partners at The Gazette, the Avalanche said they’ve acquired defenseman Nick Blankenburg from the Nashville Predators in exchange for a 2027 fifth-round draft selection, a low-risk, low-cost move for the organization.
In 49 games this season, Blankenburg has set career highs with six goals and 21 points for Nashville, averaging nearly 18 minutes per game.
For the Avalanche, it’s unlikely he’ll get into the lineup unless there’s an injury, making him the seventh defenseman on the roster, something they’ve been lacking since moving Ilya Solovyov to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The 27-year-old defenseman is listed at 5-foot-9, 177 pounds, and has 164 games of NHL experience under his belt. He has yet to experience postseason hockey. Although he’s another undersized defenseman, his underlying metrics are solid, particularly on the penalty kill.
Blankenburg becomes the fifth right-shooting defenseman on the roster, joining Cale Makar, Josh Manson, Brent Burns and Sam Malinski.
Blankenburg comes with a $775,000 cap hit and is set to become an unrestricted free agent after the season.
The trade deadline is 1 p.m. Friday. The Avalanche will be in Dallas on Friday for a big matchup with the Stars, and it’s unclear if Blankenburg will join the team for the final game of their road trip.
The Gazette's Evan Rawal contributed to this web story.
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