2. Nick Blankenburg- Came out of nowhere, taking advantage of injuries
Another example of players being thrown into extensive playing time due to injuries. Nick Blankenburg was signed by Nashville as a free agent this past offseason without much buzz at all, and why would there have been?
Blankenburg got brief playing time on the NHL level in his three previous seasons with the Columbus Blue Jackets. He's be 27-years-old before this season ends, and while he has yet to register his first point with the Predators, Blankenburg is showing us a lot of positive signs. Most notably his speed and puck moving traits.
Blankenburg isn't waivers exempt, so when Nashville finally gets 100 percent healthy on the blueline, they'll have an interesting decision to make on Blankenburg. He has played well enough to remain in the starting lineup, but is he really going to take a spot away from Josi, Carrier or Lauzon? Doubtful unless a trade comes about, which isn't out of the realm of possibility. Especially with Carrier if General Manager Barry Trotz really decides to get aggressive with a selling off of assets.
I'm 50/50 on if Blankenburg would be claimed on waivers. The ideal scenario is that he would go unclaimed so that Nashville can work to re-sign him at a later date. I like his upside as a depth defenseman, but there is also Spencer Stastney waiting to eventually get called back up.
Might be difficult to keep Blankenburg off waivers. Hopefully he doesn't get claimed and he stays in the Predators' pipeline of young defensemen. He is a right shot defenseman so there's a good chance Carrier takes his spot back from Blankenburg when he returns from injury.