Avalanche New Defenseman Ready for 22nd Season

Having Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar — two of the top players in the league, not just at their respective positions — and the Mikko Rantanen shenanigans, taken with captain Gabriel Landeskog's battle to get back to the NHL, fans have had plenty of Avalanche-related news to chat about.

Burns, who won the Norris Trophy as the league's top defenseman back in 2017, joins the Avalanche on a one-year $1 million deal, after playing his last three seasons in Carolina on a stacked Hurricanes defense. If Colorado wants to be the talk of the NHL, adding a guy with a resumé like Burns' will certainly do that.

Heading into year 22, Burns isn't likely to be a top-four impact guy that will be relied on to provide the bulk of the blueline's offense, and the Avalanche don't exactly need that when you consider who is on defense. Makar leads the group, but Devon Toews, Josh Manson and Samuel Girard are no slouches either.

With Burns, the Avalanche added a grizzled veteran presence on the backend, who had a down year for his standards, posting 6-23-29 in 82 games, before adding five points through 15 2024-25 playoff games.

The 40-year-old brings a calming presence to the blueline, with good physicality and efficient zone exits, a great first pass and the ability to carry the puck through the neutral zone and support his forwards.

Burns' decision to sign with the Avalanche also shows that he still very much has aspirations for his first Stanley Cup, with the back-nine of his career upon us, and less runway ahead than behind him.

He could have chosen a much worse place to play then Colorado, who has been trying to climb back to the pinnacle of the NHL since winning the Stanley Cup back in 2022, and adding Burns', who is six foot five and 229 pounds, shows the organizations awareness of how integral having a big, physical team is for playoff success.

It is just one move, but the Avalanche are a premier squad in the NHL, and watching Florida secure back-to-back Cups has only further supported the idea that big, bruising players who wear down the opposition are the formula for sustained success, especially deep into the playoffs.