The Colorado Avalanche signed Brent Burns this offseason, who is expected to be a huge benefit to young potential gem Sam Malinski in 2025-26.
The Colorado Avalanche shook things up in free agency by trading Charlie Coyle and Miles Wood to the Columbus Blue Jackets, and then signing 40 year old defenseman Brent Burns. Burns offers both offensive and defensive help, while ultimately expected to play a limited role on the team’s third pairing.
Alongside him will be Sam Malinski. Malinski saw extensive playing time (for him), averaging 1:43 of ice time more in 2024-25 than he did in 2023-24. However, the biggest difference was the amount of games Malinski played in: 23 in 2023-24 compared to 76 in 2024-25. He then signed a qualifying offer as a restricted free agent recently.
One might look at his goals and assists (five and 10, respectively) and think that isn’t a big deal. You might be right, but it’s his ability to be in on many of the plays, both offensively and defensively, that really makes him shine. His total shots jumped from a boring 31 to an amazing 115. The Avalanche love what he brings to the table.
Of course, when it comes to the young players, a little mentoring doesn’t hurt. That’s where Burns comes into the mix. Yeah, He’s going to be doing his thing, providing some defensive help alongside Malinski. He’s also no stranger to scoring. Along with his many years as a defensive player, Burns has 177 games as a forward under his belt. In that time, he scored 27 goals and 43 assists.
Though it’s been over a decade since he played as a wing, he’s got the knowledge to play an offensive style, which is what the Avalanche want. Even once Burns is gone from Colorado, the knowledge that he can pass onto a young player such as Malinski is going to come in very handy for the 26 year old.
It’s possible that Burns doesn’t suit up for every game (a healthy scratch) in 2025-26, with Keaton Middleton as a physical presence in his place. That’s going to be a matchup situation. However, the amount of time Burns and Malinski play alongside each other is going to be a lot of fun to watch. We saw Malinski’s big jump from year one to year two. I fully expect a bigger jump from year 2 to year 3.
