Colorado Avalanche defenseman Brent Burns has been known as an ironman defenseman. He hasn’t missed a game over the last five seasons, and overall, he has played in all 82 regular season games an impressive 11 times.
Burns averaged 18:53 a game for the Avs this past season, his lowest since the 2013-14 season with the San Jose Sharks. According to StatMuse, Burns gave the puck away 102 times last season. That ranks third on the team, and first among the team’s defensemen.
While there is currently just one extra defenseman on the roster right now (Noah Juulsen), that really won’t remain the case throughout the season. There will be callups for various reasons, whether it be for injury replacement or if the Avalanche need a spark.
As Burns is now in his 40’s (41), I really don’t see him playing a whole lot. I could see Jared Bednar reducing his minutes to try and preserve him for the entire season. With the NHL now going to an 84-game schedule, staying fresh physically and mentally is going to be crucial, especially for the older players in the league.
Depending on what their other options are, as well as Burns’ play, Bednar could also choose to make him a healthy scratch at some point. I know that’s unfair to suggest it could happen, and we’ll wait to see how well he does, but give his age, it could make some sense.
The Avalanche obviously feel that Burns can have some sort of positive impact on the team this season. He was in free agency for a short time before re-signing for one year, which is a very low-risk deal for the team. It was the only deal that really made sense. Anything more would have been shocking given his age.
This could be Burns’ final year in the NHL, and while he could see his minutes reduced, he still is looking to help make the biggest impact that he can. He has not won a Stanley Cup, so I think that is probably on his mind, and it would be disappointing to see him go out without hoisting it.
If this season is for anyone on the Avs, it’s got to be him. Getting to see him skate out into the sunset after winning the big trophy would be the best, even if it does come in a season where his contributions are lessened.
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