Nick Blankenburg on the doorstep of a career high in points
Blankenburg was already one of the few bright spots on the Predators last season, and he has shown this season that it wasn't a fluke. He's actually a really solid NHL defenseman that deserves to be a consistent starter somewhere. He has made it that the Predators just can't take him out of the starting lineup ever.
It's hard to find any fault in Blankenburg's game. He skates really well for a defenseman, produces offense and shows awesome intangibles on both ends. Much like Haula, Blankenburg is a possible trade piece in the next two months.
Blankenburg is currently at 15 points on the season in only 26 games. Just one shy of his NHL career high after playing in 60 games last season and amassing 16 points.
Trotz has a really difficult decision to make on Blankenburg. If he is prioritizing selling and a full reset, then Blankenburg should fetch a decent return on the trade market. However, if he views Blankenburg as part of the long-term solution in Nashville, then he should be working behind the scenes on a contract extension.
If I'm Trotz, I'm working out a deal to keep Blankenburg in Nashville. I'd be comfortable offering him another two years but with a $2 million AAV as a starting point. He has never made more than a million as a base salary on the NHL level. He has earned more than that if not here in Nashville, then on the open market in the next offseason.