The Toronto Maple Leafs are planning to go with 11 forwards and seven defencemen against the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday, with defenceman Nick Blankenburg set to make his debut with the team, according to head coach Jim Hiller.
The 28-year-old Blankenburg joined the Maple Leafs on a PTO in the preseason and was signed to a one-year, $1.4 million deal with the team on Sept. 26.
Blankenburg spent the 2025-26 season with the Nashville Predators and Avalanche, where he scored eight goals and finished with 24 points in 61 games split between the two sides.
This is Blankenburg’s sixth season in the NHL since signing as an undrafted free agent with the Columbus Blue Jackets and making his NHL debut on Apr. 14, 2022.
The Maple Leafs will not have forward John Tavares in the lineup on Saturday after he went home to be with his wife for the birth of their fourth child earlier this week.
Saturday’s game against Colorado is the second of a three-game swing out west for the Maple Leafs. They enter the contest coming off a 4-3 shootout loss to the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday and are 2-2-1 on the young season.