- Brent Burns re-signs with Colorado on a one-year deal, staying off the open market
- Brett Kulak lands a five-year contract worth $4.5 million per season
- Read below for the full terms and what they mean for the Avalanche blue line
The Avalanche locked up two of their veteran defensemen before either one could test free agency.
Colorado re-signed Brent Burns and Brett Kulak on Friday, the team announced. Burns took a one-year deal while Kulak got five years. Both could have hit the open market on July 1.
Burns is running it back at 41. The bearded blueliner put up 35 points (12 goals, 23 assists) in 82 games this season and added four assists across 13 playoff games. His base salary is just $850,000, but he can earn a little over $2 million more in bonuses, Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reported.
He keeps adding to one of the more remarkable runs in league history. Burns played his 1,000th straight game on April 4 against Dallas, and his streak now sits at 1,007, second only to Phil Kessel’s record of 1,064.
The resume behind the iron man is staggering. Burns has 945 career points over 1,579 regular-season games and 22 seasons, plus a Norris Trophy from his days in San Jose.
Kulak is the bigger commitment. The 32-year-old signed for five years at a $4.5 million cap hit, per Elliotte Friedman.
The Avs grabbed Kulak from Pittsburgh in February in the deal that sent Samuel Girard the other way. He chipped in three assists in 27 regular-season games with Colorado and five points in 13 playoff games. He has reached the Stanley Cup Final three times in his career.
Locking down both keeps two of Colorado’s top-six defensemen in place rather than letting Burns and Kulak walk next week. That matters for a team that has spent the offseason reshaping its roster around the edges.
