NHL insider reveals Avalanche's latest blockbuster move just saved their Cup hopes for next season
Photo credit: Axios / Matthew Stockman
According to a recent article, the Colorado Avalanche may have just saved their Stanley Cup hopes next season after acquiring veteran all-star defenseman Brent Burns in free agency a couple weeks back.
Burns signed a one-year deal worth $1 million.
Avalanche just saved their upcoming season.
Graham Baako from the Sporting News writes that with the NHL's free agency frenzy mostly behind us and all the top names signed, teams and fans are now reflecting on what was a chaotic period. As the dust settles, it's time to highlight some of the biggest winners of the offseason.
Harman Dayal of The Athletic released his list of the top free agent signings from this NHL offseason. Coming in at No. 4 was former Carolina Hurricane Brent Burns, who inked a one-year contract with the Avalanche.
«His point production on the power-play collapsed last season and he was inconsistent defensively at times in the regular season. With that said, he still ranked top-50 among NHL defensemen at producing five-on-five points and is an elite penalty killer. Coming to Colorado, he'll be able to slot in nicely behind Cale Makar and Josh Manson on the right-side depth chart. Handling fewer minutes and easier matchups should do wonders for Burns' two-way effectiveness at even strength. He'll also be nice top-four insurance in case of blue-line injuries.» -Dayal
Despite his age, Burns remains a reliable depth option for Colorado. If a key player like Cale Makar were to miss time, Burns is more than capable of stepping in and contributing solid minutes. His low-cost contract adds even more value to the signing, making it one of the offseason's smartest moves, especially since it won't count against the cap if Colorado maxes out their space.
The 40-year-old has spent the past three seasons in Carolina following an 11-year run with the San Jose Sharks and seven seasons with the Minnesota Wild. Across his NHL career, Burns has tallied 261 goals and 649 assists in 1,497 games.
Burns also brings 135 games of playoff experience to Colorado, during which he's tallied 24 goals and 56 assists, including eight power-play goals.
It remains to be seen where he'll slot into the Avalanche's lineup, and whether his arrival prompts any other roster moves. We'll have to wait and see.
| POLL | ||
JUILLET 14 | 24 ANSWERS NHL insider reveals Avalanche's latest blockbuster move just saved their Cup hopes for next season Do you think the Avalanche have a strong chance of winning the Stanley Cup next season? | ||
| yes | 16 | 66.7 % |
| no | 8 | 33.3 % |
| List of polls | ||
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