NHL Free Agency Day 1 tracker: 3 biggest moves you missed

1. Carolina Hurricanes acquire Brent Burns from the San Jose Sharks

While the Carolina Hurricanes weren’t able to finalize the deal with Mason Marchment, they were able to finalize a deal with the San Jose Sharks. The final trade has D/RW Brent Burns and F Lane Pederson heading to the Canes in exchange for C/LW Steven Lorentz, G Eetu Makiniemi and a 2023 third-round pick.

The 37-year-old Burns had a three-team list of potential destinations he would allow himself to be dealt to. Reportedly, the Canes were not on that list but Burns waived his trade protection and has agreed to be dealt. The Hurricanes had dealt defenseman Anthony DeAngelo to the Flyers at this year’s draft and is expected to quickly replace him with the addition of Burns.

A veteran of a whopping 18 seasons in the NHL, Burns has played for both the Minnesota Wild (seven years) and the Sharks (11 years), making eight All-Star Game appearances and winning a Norris Trophy in 2017. He was a hugely popular player for the Sharks but was ultimately dealt for financial reasons as he still has three years left on his contract.

Burns is one of the more durable players in the league and has played over 80 games in a season nine times over the years, including every year from 2015-2019. Last season, he played in 82 games during the regular season and scored 54 points, his highest in three years. He is still a valuable contributor on the ice and spends a ton of time on ice, as evidenced by his 26:09 ATOI (average time on ice) last year, the highest mark of his career.