Brent Burns is staring down a season that could put him in some rare company.
The former San Jose Sharks defenseman enters the 2026-27 campaign with a chance to climb the NHL’s all-time lists in a few different ways, and the biggest one is the ironman chase. Burns is 57 games away from matching Phil Kessel’s league record for consecutive games played, a streak that reached 1,064 straight appearances and ran from November 2009 until the end of Kessel’s career in April 2023.
If Burns gets there, he won’t just be closing in on a record - he’d be on the doorstep of NHL history. He already has 1,579 career games played, which puts him within striking distance of becoming just the 14th player in league history to reach 1,600.
Alexander Ovechkin is right behind him, and both players are expected to reach that mark this season. The question is who gets there first.
With Burns’ streak still rolling, he has the edge.
There are milestones waiting on the offensive side, too, even if they’re tougher to grab. Burns is 55 points away from 1,000 for his career after putting up 35 last season. He also needs 28 assists to reach 700, a target that looks a little more realistic but still isn’t exactly a sure thing.
Then there’s the defensemen scoring leaderboard. Burns is only three points from moving into the top 10 all-time among NHL defensemen, which would put him level with Chris Chelios at 948 points.
From there, he’d still be 10 points shy of Larry Robinson for ninth place. And if Burns can find 15 goals, he’d tie Larry Murphy for sixth all-time in goals by a defenseman.
At 41 years old, Burns could be setting up one last historic run.
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John McCarthy came away encouraged by the way the group carried itself, especially the physical edge and competitive bite it showed throughout the tournament. That part has been hard to miss for anyone watching, and it has given the Sharks a clearer picture of which prospects are willing to push back when things get chippy, even as the roster decisions and camp battles around them are only just beginning. [Read more 🡒]