The Colorado Avalanche signed defensemen Brent Burns and Brett Kulak to one- and five-year contract extensions on Friday. Can Burns set the NHL's all-time ironman record?
Brent Burns is not done being the NHL's oldest active player yet.
The 41-year-old signed a one-year contract extension with the Colorado Avalanche on Friday. The team didn't announce salary details, but Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported it's an $850,000 base salary, and he can max out at about $3 million with full bonuses.
Colorado also re-signed defenseman Brett Kulak to a five-year contract. It's worth $4.5 million annually, according to Friedman.
Burns is now set for a 23rd career NHL season. That would put him in a tie for ninth place in most seasons played in league history.
Other players who retired after 23 seasons are games-played leader Patrick Marleau, Ron Francis, Dave Andreychuk, Johnny Bucyk and Al MacInnis.
Burns has played 1,579 career NHL games, logging 272 goals and 672 assists for 945 points. He had 12 goals and 35 points this season and added four assists in 13 playoff games.
Among his career accomplishments, he's been a first-team all-star twice, a second-team all-star once and an NHL Foundation Player Award winner in 2014-15.
The 2016-17 Norris Trophy winner could make significant NHL history in 2026-27, however, as he chases his first Stanley Cup championship.
NHL Ironman Record Within Reach
With 1,007 consecutive games played, Burns is 57 matches away from tying Phil Kessel's ironman record of 1,064.
Kessel's streak lasted from Nov. 3, 2009, to April 13, 2023. He played for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Pittsburgh Penguins, Arizona Coyotes and Vegas Golden Knights in that span. Kessel has not officially retired, so the streak could technically continue if he makes an NHL comeback.
Burns' streak began on Nov, 21, 2013. Since then, he's logged most of his games with the San Jose Sharks, but he also played three seasons with the Carolina Hurricanes and has spent one year with Colorado so far.
Kessel and Burns are the only players in NHL history with a consecutive games played streak of at least 1,000 games.
In fact, Burns has nearly double the number of consecutive games played as Montreal Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki, who ranks second among active players with 537.
Kulak Re-Signs
Kulak had one goal and 11 assists for 12 points in 83 games this season and five points in 13 playoff contests.
The 32-year-old started the campaign with the Edmonton Oilers, which included him in the Stuart Skinner trade to the Penguins in December.
Pittsburgh then traded Kulak to Colorado on Feb. 24 in exchange for defenseman Samuel Girard and a second-round pick.
The defensive defenseman racked up 108 blocked shots and averaged 18:58 of ice time, including 20:38 with Colorado.
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