Former San Jose Sharks defenseman Brent Burns is on the verge of joining a very exclusive club as the 2026-27 season rapidly approaches and he could even break a league record.
Burns is chasing down Phil Kessel for the most consecutive games played in league history. Kessel's ironman streak was legendary during his playing career, but Burns' seems to have gone a bit more under the radar. Kessel played in 1,064 straight games, beginning his streak in November 2009. It ran until essentially the end of his playing career in April of 2023.
Burns needs just 57 more games to tie Kessel, then he can become the most notable ironman in league history.
That's not all Burns is chasing this season either, as he's nearing a number of major milestones.
Only 13 players in the history of the NHL have played in 1,600 or more games throughout their career. It's a difficult feat, considering that it takes nearly 20 seasons without suffering any injuries to achieve. Now, Burns is on the cusp of becoming the 14th, as he sits with 1,579 career games played but he does have some competition for that spot. Alexander Ovechkin is right behind him and both will likely hit that threshold this season, it's just a matter of who does it first. Given Burns' ironman streak, it'll be difficult for Ovechkin to pass him.
Offensively, Burns has two more milestones he can achieve in the coming season. He's currently just 55 points away from hitting 1,000 in his career. Considering he only registered 35 last season, hitting that milestone this season may be tough though. The same rings true with his other major milestone: 700 assists. This is slightly more realistic, as he just needs 28, but still a bit of a stretch.
On another note, Burns is just three points away from entering the top-10 for most points by a defenseman in league history. At that point, he'd tie Chris Chelios with 948 career points, and he'd be just 10 behind Larry Robinson for ninth. If Burns is able to turn back the clock a bit and score 15 goals, he'll also tie Larry Murphy for the sixth-most goals by a defenseman in NHL history.
Brent Burns is on the verge of a historic season, in what could potentially be the final season of his career at 41 years of age.
