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Brent Burns Reveals More Details on Avalanche Signing

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Matt Levine | Last updated Jul 7, 2025 2:39 PM ET

The Colorado Avalanche added a big veteran to the mix last week, signing defenseman Brent Burns. Burns will be playing his 22nd season in the NHL and is hoping to finally break through in Colorado.

Burns has seen almost everything during his time in the league, but he is still missing a title. The veteran explained some of his mindset for why he decided to sign with the Avalanche.

"I still love it," Burns said Thursday. "I think that's so important, the passion part of it.

"The biggest one for me is there's still something to chase," he said. "So, I'm still super motivated for that and there's one big goal still."

Burns has played in 1,497 career regular-season games, which is the sixth most for a player who hasn't won the Stanley Cup. The veteran came close in 2016 when the San Jose Sharks made the Stanley Cup Final, but they ultimately fell to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The veteran may not be the same player that he once was, but he still showed that he could be effective last season. Burns played with the Carolina Hurricanes and impacted the defense of Carolina very well.

"Whatever they ask of me, that's what I want to do," he said. "That's all that I'm really looking at right now. That's what I want to do."

The defenseman had six goals and 23 assists for Carolina, playing atop the first-line pairing. It remains to be seen how much longer Burns will play, but he is hopeful for the Avalanche to go after a title this season.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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