The San Jose Sharks have traded defenseman Brent Burns to the Carolina Hurricanes, according to a report by The Athletic‘s Pierre LeBrun.
Burns is signed for the next three years at an $8 million cap hit, although LeBrun indicated the Sharks have retained a third of his remaining contract — meaning Carolina will be on the hook for $5.33 million per year.
Sharks prospect Lane Pederson will also head to Carolina. In exchange, San Jose will receive forward Steven Lorentz, goaltending prospect Eetu Makiniemi, and a conditional 2023 third-round draft selection.
Burns, 37, spent the last 11 seasons with the Sharks after being traded by the Minnesota Wild in 2011. The 6-foot-5, 230-pound right-handed defenseman won the Norris Trophy in 2017 and scored 54 points (10 goals, 44 assists) in 82 games with the Sharks in 2021–22.
Lorentz, 26, emerged as an everyday NHL player with the Hurricanes this past season. A seventh-round pick of Carolina in 2015, the 6-foot-4, 206-pound forward scored eight goals and 13 points in 67 regular-season games before being held without a point in five playoff appearances. Lorentz is an RFA with arbitration rights.
In 1,251 career games with the Wild and Sharks, Burns has scored 227 goals and 777 points. He’s also recorded 20 goals and 62 points in 94 career playoff appearances, including 24 points in 24 games during the Sharks’ run to the 2016 Stanley Cup Final.
With Burns in the fold, the Hurricanes now have six defensemen with NHL experience under contract for 2022–23: Burns, Jaccob Slavin, Brady Skjei, Brett Pesce, Jake Gardiner and Jalen Chatfield.
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