I love Nick Blankenburg. I love that he’s a small player who is fearless. He lays big hits and can make things happen in the offensive zone. The team seems to play better when he’s in the lineup, like he sets a standard that everyone else has to meet.
Don’t believe me? Check this out:
Blue Jackets with Blankenburg this season: 15-17-4 (77 point pace)
Blue Jackets without Blankenburg this season: 10-31-5 (44 point pace)
Coincidence? Probably!
The problem with his aggressive style and his smaller frame is that he has been injury-prone so far in his short NHL career. He suffered an upper-body injury just a couple of weeks into the season, but was able to return for the games in Finland. Then, in the first game back home, Blankenburg broke his ankle in the same game that saw Zach Werenski tear his shoulder. With the defense already shorthanded, Blankenburg finished the game on a broken ankle.
He returned in January but missed a couple of games with an upper-body injury on the Western Canada trip. In late March, he re-injured his ankle and missed the remainder of the season. He appeared in just 36 games in total.
Further complicating things is a crowded right side of the defense. Adam Boqvist, Andrew Peeke, and Erik Gudbranson are also under contract, and star prospect David Jiricek is expected to be an NHL regular next season as well. Someone is going to have to shift to the left full time, be sent down, or traded. Blankenburg will lose his waiver exemption after 17 more games.
2022-23 Stats
Games: 36
Goals: 4
Assists: 10
Points: 14
Plus/minus: -16
PIM: 16
5v5 Corsi For %: 46.4%
5v5 Fenwick For %: 46.4%
Offensive Zone Start: 51.0%
Contract Status
Blankenburg has one year remaining on a two year contract, which carries an average annual value of $825,000. In summer 2024 he will be an RFA with arbitration rights.
High Point
The Blue Jackets lost their first three games, all with Blanks as a healthy scratch. When he returned to the lineup against Vancouver and Nashville, the Jackets won their first two games. The Nashville game featured a two point performance from Blanks along with two hits and two blocks. His third period goal was the game-winner:
Low Point
The aforementioned injuries.
Report Card
B-
Blanks was the third best CBJ defenseman by EV CF%, behind just Werenski and Boqvist. He was also second in points, behind just Boqvist (both played under 50 games…yikes).
Some of you may give him an “incomplete” given how few games he played. Instead, I’m saying he had a B+ type season but I’m docking him for the time missed.