Did the Avalanche just repeat Carolina's biggest mistake?
Photo credit: AP Photo / Karl B DeBlaker
The Carolina Hurricanes appear to have repeated the same costly mistake concerning a star veteran defenseman, with recent developments suggesting significant implications for the team's upcoming season.
Earlier this summer, the Avalanche announced that they have agreed to a one-year contract with defenseman Brent Burns for the 2025-26 NHL season.
Did the Avalanche just make a costly roster mistake?
Ben Huffman from Cardiac Canes writes that every franchise has a few players that can hardly believe suited up for them at some point. Whether a multiple-time award winner or one of the greatest to ever play the game, every team has those moments of disbelief. One of those players for the Hurricanes was Burns before he signed with the Avalanche.
"It felt automatic that Burns would be paired with Jaccob Slavin once he became a Hurricane. Tony DeAngelo had just been traded a few weeks prior after an excellent offensive season, so this felt like a natural pairing. It would prove profitable as Burns tied the single-season franchise record for goals by a defenseman (18) and smashed DeAngelo's points record by 10 with 61 points." -Huffman
After posting nine points in the playoffs and finishing 10th in Norris Trophy voting, signs of regression began to appear. While Burns still scored 10 goals and surpassed 40 points, it marked a noticeable decline from the previous season. His playoff production also dropped, contributing just four points, and the challenges only continued from there.
"As one of the oldest active players, Burns is still chasing the ultimate prize in hockey. He hasn't won the Stanley Cup, and this season he'll try to do it with the Colorado Avalanche after signing a one-year deal. It's unclear whether this is Burns's last season, so you know he'll be doing everything he can to get the job done. Colorado has a history of helping veteran defensemen win it all." -Huffman
By bringing Burns on board, the Avalanche may have just repeated a misstep, betting on a veteran whose best years could be behind him.
| POLL | ||
AOUT 24 | 28 ANSWERS Did the Avalanche just repeat Carolina's biggest mistake? Do you think Burns was a solid signing for the Avalanche this offseason? | ||
| yes | 26 | 92.9 % |
| no | 2 | 7.1 % |
| List of polls | ||
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