What separates the good from Great?
Amongst the thousands of players who have laced up their skates and hit the ice in the NHL, only 22 had skated for 1,500 regular season games before Avalanche Brent Burns on Oct. 11, 2025.
Only eight were defenseman.
One of those eight played for the Avalanche. Now, it's two of nine.
The last player to reach the 1,500 game milestone was Ryan Suter, who did so last season. Both Burns and Suter were members of the 2003 NHL Entry Draft. Suter, if not officially retired remains an unrestricted free agent even as the first month of the season draws to a close.
Aside from Suter, all 7 of the other defenseman are hall of famers, and part of why he isn't there yet is because he hasn't met the final requirement of actually retiring.
Burns' career has spanned 22 seasons and 4 teams, including the Avalanche, whom he signed with this past offseason. Drafted by the Minnesota Wild as a forward, Burns was seen as a defenseman by coach Jacques Lemaire.
That vision was not initially shared by the Wild's general manager or scouting staff, but a breakout 43 point '07-'08 season looked for Burns, yet to be sporting his now iconic bushy beard, like a sign of good things to come. Three years later, however, he would be traded to the San Jose Sharks.
By the Numbers:
Over his career he has proven himself as one of the better offensive defenseman in the league, and has played largely as the prototypical "power play quarterback." The Sharks did briefly experiment with Burns at forward during the 2012-13 and 2013-14 season, under then head coach Todd McLellan, (now with the Red Wings), though the bearded defenseman made his way back to the blue line due to diminishing returns for the team.
With 261 goals and 653 assists, Burns has 914 career points. Burns is only three away from tying Nicklas Lidstrom's career goal count, and Burns could do so in fewer games if he does so before the season ends. That would leave only two defenseman on the 1,500 game list to have more goals than him, and seven all-time.
The main point against Burns' case for the Hall is a lack of career accolades. Burns still lacks a Stanley Cup, and has only won the Norris Trophy one time in the 2016-17 season. Burns' actual defensive play has never been his strong suit, but his ability to flip the ice on a moments notice is what has kept him in the game for so long. Since winning the Norris Trophy in 2017, Burns has had 10 or more goals in every 82 game season aside from one, and averages just under 60 points a season. In the last three years, Burns' offensive production has dipped but he has finished each of the last three seasons with a positive +/- rating.
Food For Thought...
As some fans may already know (especially if they clicked the link) the last defenseman to join the Avalanche and subsequently cross the 1,500 regular season game mark was Ray Bourque. Bourque is the most prolific offensive defenseman in NHL history with 410 goals and 1169 assists to round out to 1,579. That was just slightly under the total number of games he played, 1,612. His last game, of course, would see him lifting the Stanley Cup for the first time in 2001 with the Colorado Avalanche after a 22 year career.
Barring never before seen miracles, Burns probably won't be matching those point totals, but he could cement his case for the Hall by matching Bourque with a Stanley Cup with the Avalanche.