The Colorado Avalanche already nabbed one New York Islanders defenseman this offseason when they traded for and extended Devon Toews, and now they’ve done it again. This time it’s Kyle Burroughs, who the team acquired in exchange for A.J. Greer earlier this month. Burroughs, a restricted free agent, has signed a new one-year contract with the Avalanche. Financial terms have not yet been released.
Not only does Burroughs represent another offseason addition to the organization, but he is also the final restricted free agent to sign for GM Joe Sakic. Vladislav Kamenev, the only other player without a contract, has decided to continue his career in the KHL and signed a two-year deal overseas. That means the Avalanche offseason could potentially be over, especially considering most of their cap space has been eaten up by the new contracts handed out.
Colorado re-signed Andre Burakovsky, Valeri Nichushkin, and Ryan Graves, while bringing in Toews and Brandon Saad from outside the organization. While those may have not been the splashy free agent moves that some were expecting, the Colorado lineup looks intimidating and formidable going into the 2020-21 season.
While that deep roster is fun for the fans, it certainly shouldn’t give Burroughs much hope of making his NHL debut this season. The 25-year-old defenseman has played five seasons in the minor leagues and is likely ticketed for the Colorado Eagles in 2020-21.