The Colorado Avalanche continue to make moves. They team announced that they have agreed to a one-year deal with defender Brent Burns, while giving fellow defender Brett Kulak a five-year deal worth $4.5 million AAV. Burns can earn up to $2 million, per Pierre LeBrun.
The decision comes less than 24 hours after the Avalanche traded away Jack Drury instead of re-signing the restricted free agent, and a week after they shipped off Ross Colton, who had a $4 million cap hit.
The pieces are still coming together for the Avs. They’ve now have around $5.63 million in cap space, and 19/23 roster spots filled. That isn’t a lot of money to pass around anymore, but that’s the world we live in in the NHL.
The move to re-sign Burns was always coming down to a one-year deal. The only question was, at what cost? His $850k cap hit is a great move for the Avalanche as they get one last year of Burns on a very inexpensive deal. He’ll get another chance at earning the trust of Avs Faithful, who at some point grew tired of some of the questionable decisions he made throughout a stretch of the season.
Kulak’s deal is significantly larger, and I’m a bit surprised about that number, but in the end, Joe Sakic has a plan. He’s got a vision for this roster.
The 2026 NHL Draft begins tonight, and while the Avalanche don’t currently own a first-round pick—and it could stay that way—there’s always time for another move or two. The NHL is unpredictable to an extent, so we’ll have to wait and see what happens, if anything.
The change in general manager from Chris MacFarland to Joe Sakic certainly is fun to watch unfold. Let’s see if Sakic pulls off any huge swings.
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