Sharks spotlight: Brent Burns

Sharks spotlight: Brent BurnsAge: 27DIn his eighth season in the NHL, and first with the Sharks,defenseman Brent Burns had 11 goals and 26 assists for 37 points and 34 penaltyminutes in 81 games. Burns was tied for 11th among NHL defensemen ingoals, and was 10th in shots with 201. He added a goal and an assistfor two points in five playoff games. Burns begins a five-year contractextension in 2012-13 at an annual cap hit of 5.76 million.
Kurz says: Burns was brought to San Jose in a highlypublicized deal a little less than a year ago, with the hope that he would bethe proverbial final piece of the puzzle after two straight Western ConferenceFinal defeats. He immediately improved the blue line depth, which was theSharks biggest weakness at the end of the 2011 campaign.And Burns did, in fact, show flashes of that player theSharks hoped they were getting when they made the deal. The 6-5, 230-pounder isamong the leagues best skating defensemen for a big man, and when hes playingwell, is responsible in his own end while also being a threat in the offensivezone and on the power play.Still, it seemed like a season-long adjustment for Burns,who admitted at the end of the season that he felt some pressure to help putthe team over the hump. That was reflected most in his physical play, which,although he never had the reputation as a nasty, Chris Pronger-type, seemed todecline in his first season in San Jose. The proof of that is in his penaltyminutes, as Burns went from 98 in his final year with the Wild to just 34 withthe Sharks. The Sharks miserable penalty killing may have also prevented Burnsfrom being as physical in front of the net and along the boards as he couldhave been.SLIDESHOW: Grading the Sharks
Brodie says: No Sharks player had more eyeballs on him inthe first half of the season than Brent Burns.Even though the team had brought in a hand-full of new players, theformer-winger seemed to be surrounded by more hype and expectations than anyoneelse. Integration was indeed a process for Burns, and one thattook a little longer than desired or expected.But in the end: he still led the blue line in goals, and finished theregular season a 8. Not to mention hestayed healthy for 81 games while averaging 22:32 per night, and kept hispenalty minutes low. Burns started the year with Vlasic as a partner, but rotatedthrough several more as the season went on.He certainly held up his reputation as an offensive-minded defenseman;putting 201 shots on goal (2nd by Defensemen behind Boyle), byjumping in plays and getting pucks through from the back end.When you look up the term fun-loving, a picture of BrentBurns should likely reside next to it.His outgoing personality was even more apparent as he naturally grewcloser to teammates this season. In thisregard, he is also the first known NHL player to purposely mess up a reportershair during an in-game bench interview.2012-13 expectationsKurz says: Doug Wilson made it crystal clear after theseason that he expects Burns to be here for the long hauland besuccessful in the process, calling Burns a stud, and saying he thought Burnsfirst year as a Shark was better than his final season in Minnesota. Whilethats certainly debatable, Id say its very likely Burns has a better seasonnext year. Hell be fully acclimated to the Sharks system and his surroundingswhen training camp begins, and other offseason changes to the roster that areexpected this summer should help decrease any pressure he felt a year ago. Thespotlight wont be on him anymore.
While he may not be a number one defenseman of the pedigreeof a Drew Doughty or a Ryan Suter, I expect Burns will improve in his secondyear in teal.
RELATED: Brent Burns statssplitsgame logs
Brodie says: Youve got to think at this point, BradStuarts name is already penciled in the lineup next to Brent Burns for nextseason. But no matter whom he skateswith, Burns should be at a greater advantage this year, now that he is wellremoved from his first trade as a professional.All of the variables including a new coach, new teammates and newsurroundings will not be a factor this year.A lot of attention is going to be given to the new playersthat San Jose will acquire this Summer, and even more towards the new systemsthey implement. This could give Burnsthe opportunity to thrive right out of the gate by not being such a focalpoint, and flying under the radar.