HIGHLIGHTS
- Brent Burns signs one-year contract with Colorado Avalanche
- Burns played last three seasons with Carolina Hurricanes
- Read below for contract details and more
The NHL free agent period hasn’t been as frenetic as once thought, with some of the key names electing to re-sign with their teams. However, there have still been a few spicy moves around the league.
The Colorado Avalanche announced on Wednesday night that they were signing veteran defenseman Brent Burns to a one-year contract.
THE BEARD TAKES ON THE ALTITUDE 🧔♂️🥶
Brent Burns, the NHL’s second-oldest player, signs a 1-year deal with the Colorado Avalanche. pic.twitter.com/3xQdt95jCQ
— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) July 3, 2025
It’s a one-year deal for Burns with a modest cap hit of $1 million. However, the defenseman can earn up to $3 million more with games-played bonus.
$1M base, games-played bonuses could get him another $3M
Burns is at 925 consecutive games played — 4th-longest all-time and 139 behind Phil Kessel's record.
Great to see he's still going https://t.co/fLZSSgTxsb
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) July 3, 2025
Burns, who turned 40 in March, tops the list of the oldest active NHL players with Marc-Andre Fleury retiring and Ryan Suter likely following suit.
He has played in 925 consecutive games, which is the longest among active players and the fourth-longest in NHL history. Burns has a chance to catch Doug Jarvis (964) and Keith Yandle (989) in the 2025-26 season, but Phil Kessel (1,064) would take another campaign after that.
The big defenseman will be playing for his fourth team in his 22nd NHL season. He started his career in Minnesota for seven seasons with the Wild, came into his own during his 11 years with the San Jose Sharks, and has aged nicely through three years in Carolina.
Burns is likely to line up on the third pair for the Avalanche behind Cale Makar and Josh Manson on the right side.
