This story was originally published on Hockey Mountain High, part of the Mile High Sports network.
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The Colorado Avalanche are already putting Valeri Nichushkin’s money to good use. On Friday morning, the Avs re-signed both Brent Burns and Brett Kulak. Burns was on a one-year contract worth $850,000, and Kulak is on a five-year contract worth $4.5 million AAV. By signing the pair of defensemen, the Avs will bring back all six of their defensemen from last season.
Brent Burns coming back for one more
Burns came to Colorado as a free agent last summer with one goal in mind: to win the Stanley Cup. He played 21 years in the NHL before heading to the Mile High City. And now, with well over 1,500 to his credit, the 41-year-old is making one last run for it. He is second in NHL history, behind Phil Kessel (1,067), with the most consecutive games played (1,007) and could easily claim the title this season. Many players on the Avalanche credited Burns with his leadership and knowledge of the game for part of their success this season. Sam Malinski saw his best season in the NHL playing next to the veteran. Burns will receive a base salary of $850,000 and could get an additional $2.15 million in bonuses.
Brent Burns, signed 1x$3M by COL, is a veteran offensive defenceman with a big shot, strong reach, and the defensive flaws we've come to know and love over his long career. pic.twitter.com/apZRF3Qw3v
— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) June 26, 2026
Kulak is finally getting stability
Kulak came to the Avalanche on February 24, 2026, before the deadline. By then, Kulak was joining his third team of the season, having already played for the Edmonton Oilers and the Pittsburgh Penguins. Kulak was picked up for his defensive game. Later in the season for the Avalanche, he ended up playing top-pair minutes during Cale Makar’s injury. Kulak likes to shine in the playoffs, where he had one goal (a game-winner) and four assists. Kulak’s five-year contract will take him to the 2030–31 season and carry a $4.5 million cap hit.
Brett Kulak, signed 5 x $4.5M by COL, is a defence-first defenceman with a strong track record but who did not have a good season at all. He played for three teams and put up solidly the worst underlying results of any defender on each of those teams. pic.twitter.com/q45Ya4QQGU
— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) June 26, 2026
Extending both Kulak and Burns was the Avs’ best bet. Sean Behrens and Alex Gagne are almost NHL-ready, but not there yet. Colorado had very few options to fill the ranks, but now they can start strongly next season.