It seems that former Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Brent Burns is indeed moving on to a new opportunity, as it was announced that the blueliner has signed a one-year deal with the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday.
Burns, 40, is joining a star-studded cast in Denver, as well as former Canes Martin Necas and Jack Drury, where he won't have to be a top option.
The veteran blueliner, who also holds the fourth longest all-time ironman streak for consecutive games played, has been a top-pairing defenseman for well over a decade now and continued to play that role in all three of his seasons with Carolina.
However, age had begun to catch up with the future Hockey Hall of Famer and his offensive game took a noticeable dip in part because of that.
However, he's continued to defy Father Time in terms of his overall playing ability, remaining capable of playing big minutes and being effective defensively, so I'm sure that he'll continue to provide positive value in a diminished role with the Avs.
The loss of Burns is also a tough blow to the Hurricanes' locker room as the veteran was a beloved figure. Teammates and coaches raved about not only the way he could make them smile and enjoy themselves, but also how he saw the game, how he was able to communicate and overall just the inspiration he was with the way he carried himself and prepared for every day and every game.
Losing guys like that is never easy and the fact of the matter is that he played a big role on the ice too, so his absence leaves a major hole in two ways (even if some fans incorrectly don't want to believe that Burns had any positive value left).
Without Burns, Carolina is also once again left with a hole on their top pair alongside Jaccob Slavin.
The team recently acquired K'Andre Miller from the New York Rangers and also have rookie Alexander Nikishin ready to jump into a full-time role as well, but both players are lefties, leaving the Hurricanes with just two right-handed options.
It will be interesting to see how Carolina deploys their blueline this season or if there are any other potential moves coming down the hopper.
'We Love It Here And Would Love For It To Work Out': Brent Burns 2024-25 Exit Interview
The Carolina Hurricanes' 2024-25 season <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/shortUrl/CJgdN4l">came to a close earlier this week</a> as the team lost in five games to the Florida Panthers in the Eastern Conference Final.
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