When he was first drafted over a decade and a half ago now, Brent Burns entered the National Hockey League with the resume of a hard hitting forward. Now, the big bearded defenseman has spent the majority of his career on the blueline, outside of a stint in San Jose when they were shorthanded in the forward corps, and has played in 1,000 consecutive games, the most by an active player, and second most in NHL history, behind only Phil Kessel.
Burns surpassed the 1000 game mark with the Colorado Avalanche, his fourth club, and hasn't missed a game since the 2021 season. Drafted by the Minnesota Wild in 2003, Burns has played over 1,500 career regular season games and is the oldest active skater in the NHL at 41. Burns is having a very productive season with the Avs as well, with 11 goals, double what he had in the past two season with the Carolina Hurricanes, and 20 assists for 31 points and a +30 rating.
Burns won the Norris Trophy in 2017 with the San Jose Sharks following a 29 goal 47 assist campaign good for 76 points in the regular season. The previous year Burns had 75 points with the Sharks, and he had a career high 83 points in the 2018-19 season in San Jose.
With the Avs, Burns is playing fewer minutes than his career average, but has been a valuable contributor for the league's best team. Despite his 22 year career, Burns has yet to win a Stanley Cup, hoping to get his first with the Avalanche as they lead the league in most statistical categories.
If Burns chooses to return next season and signs with the team, he will need to play in a little over half the season's games to surpass Kessel.