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The Colorado Avalanche made a lot of moves this offseason after a disappointing first-round playoff exit. Extending Brock Nelson and trading Charlie Coyle made the biggest headlines, but one move could help the blue line. The Avalanche signed veteran Brent Burns to a one-year contract for his age-40 season. Was it the right team for Burns? And the right player for Colorado?
The Avalanche freed up a lot of cap space, but did not use all of it. They have space open for the trade deadline, which is a smart move after their wild trade season this year. They are also saving space for a potential Martin Necas extension and Cale Makar's deal in two years. That is why they went after Burns, who can chew up minutes and has playoff experience.
One thing you cannot take away from Burns is his availability. He has played 925 consecutive games, dating back to November 2013. If he plays 82 more games, he will leap into third place all-time in consecutive games played. Even last year, at age 39, he averaged over 20 minutes per night. The Avalanche can plug Burns into their bottom pair and trust his longevity and durability to carry their depth.
The Avalanche need their depth to improve to keep up in the Western Conference. Bringing Burns in at $1 million with performance bonuses does exactly that without crushing this year's salary cap. That will make it easier to bring in talent at the trade deadline without needing other teams to retain salary. They could even make a trade this summer to improve their bottom six, largely because they went the inexpensive veteran route with Burns.
The Avalanche will benefit from having Brent Burns on their team. But did he pick the right place to chase his first Stanley Cup?
Avalanche grade: A-
Did Brent Burns pick the right team by signing with the Avalanche?
Brent Burns is a solid candidate for the Hockey Hall of Fame, won a Norris Trophy, has been a postseason all-star three times, and played 135 postseason games. But he has never won the Stanley Cup. He came close with the 2016 San Jose Sharks, who made the Stanley Cup Final before losing to the Pittsburgh Penguins. But hi main goal of this free agency period should have been to win the Stanley Cup.
This Avalanche core has already won one Stanley Cup, lifting the 2022 trophy. Since then, they have only won one playoff round. They have the elite talent to contend, but they are in the stronger conference and have a tough path to the title. Mikko Rantanen is on the Stars now, MVP Connor Hellebuyck could solve his playoff issues, and the winner of the Oilers-Golden Knights duel would be waiting in the conference final.
This is a curious choice for Burns, especially when you consider that the Golden Knights could use another defenseman. Alex Pietrangelo is on LTIR and likely never playing again, and they trade Nic Hague to make room for Mitch Marner. Vegas has been better than Colorado over the last three years. But with easy-to-reach performance bonuses totalling $4 million, Burns may have gotten more money from the Avalanche.
Burns spent the last three years with the Carolina Hurricanes, making two runs to the Eastern Conference Final. But they never made it to the Cup Final, pushing Burns to his 22nd season without his name on Lord Stanley. He should get a chance to continue his Iron Man streak with the Avalanche, but winning a Stanley Cup will be a tough hurdle to clear.
Burns will be great for the Avalanche locker room, where expectations are high and time is running out. But it may not provide him the chance to win, which his Hall of Fame resume is missing.
Burns grade: B+
