The Olympic break is over and the NHL is back in action, and the biggest talking point as the season returns is what happens at the Trade Deadline. The Nashville Predators are almost certainly going to be sellers and are expected to not waste much time before making moves.
The attention will turn to the pending free agents as far as who will be the most likely trade targets, but that does not automatically mean all of them should be traded. For example, Erik Haula is someone who will probably be dealt, but could be extended if everything ends up making sense.
Another pending free agent who the Predators should be open to bringing back is Nick Blankenburg, who has continued to be effective in his role. Even with his expiring contract, he is still only 27 years old and could still ascend in his career. The team really should try to extend him instead of trading him.
Nick Blankenburg fills short-term and long-term need for Nashville Predators
Blankenburg jumped onto the scene almost two months into the 2024-25 season, and from that point he got everyone's attention. He came in and played legitimate minutes against legitimate competition and looked comfortable, and has continued to post strong underlying numbers up to this point.
The base stats are pretty good too, as he has six goals and 15 assists in 46 games this year -- a better pace than last year, and that is with his ice time being reduced too. The numbers all around indicate a pretty good player, and so does the eye test.
He is a nifty skater on both ends of the ice, and that is the main thing that drives his game. He is smart, puts himself in position to make plays, and is not afraid to be physical when he needs to be, despite his small size.
In many of the games that the Predators have played this year, he has made at least one timely defensive play. He shut down Connor McDavid on his own in overtime when the Predators played the Oilers last month, showing that he does have legitimate skill and ability to contribute.
With him having two full years remaining after this one before he turns 30, he absolutely is expected to have more seasons of good hockey in front of him. Even if he does not truly get much better than he already is, he has already been a good player and should stay steady, and a guy like him is worth the Predators keeping.
Especially when you look at the team's entire right side of the defense throughout the system, there is no critical player who Blankenburg would be blocking in the near future. Nick Perbix and Justin Barron are serviceable at best, and the next closest prospect is Ryan Ufko, who still has not gotten a real shot at the NHL level yet.
Keeping Blankenburg would help for the next two or three years because the Predators would keep a quality player at a position of dire need. It could also help for the long-term future because he has shown actual promise, and if things work out well enough, he could become a staple of the defense.
Looking at what he has done, a three-year contract at around $3.5M per year would make sense for Blankenburg. He has been good for the Predators without showing signs of slowing down, yet it would still be a cheap contract that would make him continue to prove himself given his overall career history.
The good news is that we seem to be past the days of Blankenburg being a healthy scratch since he has proven he belongs on the ice each night, and hopefully the Predators continue to see his value and keep him around after this year.