‘There’s One Big Goal Still’: Burns is Excited to Join Avs

Colorado’s newest addition is focused on one thing at the age of 40 — to win the Stanley Cup. It’s a feat that defenseman Brent Burns has not accomplished in his 21 NHL seasons, and he’s hoping to achieve it with the Avalanche.

“I love coming to the rink every day and working. It really is the best. You’re around guys that they’re chasing one goal, there’s just something special about it — all the laughs and working hard together. It’s really special to try to build something together. And I just enjoy that process,” Burns told the media on Thursday via Zoom.

“There’s a lot of different reasons I love that and obviously the biggest one for me is there’s still something to chase. So I’m still super motivated for that. And, yeah, there’s one big goal still.”

Burns has relationships with a few players, which will make his integration into the team a bit easier. He most recently played with Martin Necas and Jack Drury in Carolina, but knows other new teammates.

READ MORE: Deen’s View: At 40, Burns Isn’t Done Yet — But Where Does He Fit on Colorado’s Blue Line? (+)

“Hockey is a pretty small world. I played with Mac (Nathan MacKinnon) before. I’ve come across Brock (Nelson) a little bit. We have some mutual friends in Minnesota. And obviously I know Nechi (Necas) and Jacko (Drury), and there’s a couple other relationships there,” Burns said.

The 6-foot-5 blueliner was drafted in the first round (20th overall) of the 2003 NHL Entry Draft by the Minnesota Wild. He spent seven seasons with the Wild before being traded to the San Jose Sharks on June 24, 2011. He won the James Norris Memorial Trophy in 2016-17 and was a finalist for the accolade in 2015-16 and 2018-19. After 11 seasons with the Sharks, Burns was traded to the Canes on July 13, 2022.

Playing both forward and defense in his career, Burns has proven a valuable two-way player. His style and experience will undoubtedly fit seamlessly into the Avs’ system and structure.

“Anytime you have a guy that has that kind of experience, to put in with Gabriel Landeskog and Nathan MacKinnon and the other guys that we have that are maybe not quite 40 years old, but they’ve got a lot of miles in this league and have been good players for a long time. So I think he’s going to fit right in with our group,” GM Chris MacFarland said.

READ MORE: Avs Still Have Work to Do After Coyle, Wood, and Brindley Trade

The Barrie, Ontario native had 29 points (6G/23A) and averaged 20:57 of time on ice per game last season. He played a perfect regular season and added five points in 15 Stanley Cup Playoff games. With 1,497 career regular-season games under his belt (eighth-most all-time by a defenseman) and 14 years the wiser than his fellow Norris Trophy-winning teammate, Burns is excited to learn new things from Cale Makar.

“I’ve heard a lot about how he approaches the game and how he is at the rink. I love that,” Burns said. “I’m 40 years old, but I can still learn a lot. And I don’t know if I’ll be able to do any of it, but I love that part. Trying to learn from people around you is such an important thing, and trying to adapt to it.”

Burns’ extensive resume with numerous awards and milestones is exceptional, but the most important of all trophies is missing — which he hopes to add with his new team.