Troy Renck: Sometimes shades of gray hair are needed to provide black-and-white clarity for a team. The Avs and Nuggets were always going to be good this season. But returning to championship contention required veteran reinforcements, players capable of providing valuable minutes and experience around stars. Denver brought in backup center Jonas Valanciunas to allow Nikola Jokic to go the bench without Nuggets Nation biting on a towel like Jerry Tarkanian. The Avs needed some gravity and levity, signing 40-year-old defenseman Brent Burns to pass the puck and loosen the tension in the room. A quarter of the way into the season, who has been a better addition?
Sean Keeler: It can get hairy when you’re talking about maybe the best two beards to ever grace the Mile High sports scene at the same time. And it’s hard not to be a Jonas brother. Valanciunas is an NBA starter, setting aside ego and minutes to help affirm The Jokic Era as a dynasty and not a one-off. But it’s awfully hard to imagine the Avalanche blasting through the NHL right now without Chewbacca riding shotgun. At 40, Burns is playing with the joy and pep of a plugger five years younger. He scored six goals and logged 29 points in 82 games last year in Carolina. Through his first 32 appearances this season, he’s already scored four times with 13 assists, putting him on a pace to nearly double (44) his points total from ’24-’25.
Renck: It is hard to find the right mix with older players. The resume might look right, but they can age fast and not fit. The Nuggets held firm that 33-year-old Valanciunas would be a final puzzle piece — determined to never let him head to play for Greece’s Panathinaikos after acquiring him from Sacramento. He has been better than expected, remarkably efficient and professional. Two scenes last week underscored these traits. After practice Tuesday, he worked alone in a half-court scrimmage for 20 minutes against coaches, polishing inside post-up moves. He followed with a 7-for-7 shooting performance in a 15-point outburst in 19 minutes in a rout of the Kings. He is averaging 8.5 points in 12 minutes per game, freeing Jokic to sit an extra two minutes per night, rest that will make a difference in the postseason.
Keeler: I’ve never seen Burns in the Avs’ locker room walking around with anything other than a smile on his face. And as it’s basically the same smile as young Ellie from Disney’s “Up,” that grin is awfully hard to miss. But it’s the stats that should make Avs fans smile about Big Brent. Per Moneypuck.com, the Colorado defensive pairings that have featured Burns this season and logged at least 30 minutes of ice time have scored 29 goals and given up just 16. And the old-man combo of Burns and Josh Manson had logged a plus-10 (23 goals for, 13 against) as of Monday morning. If you’re getting that kind of ratio from a second or a third blue-line combo, you’re cooking with gas, my friend.
Renck: Everything about Burns is cool. The future Hall-of-Famer gives off Most Interesting Man in the World vibes with his beard, food, backpack, ranch and jokes. He is also bringing out the best in Nathan MacKinnon, the two learning routines from each other that lead to open minds and open nets. Burns is an iron man, providing toughness and durability that the Avs have lacked in the playoffs. He has helped. It is just not as much as Valanciunas because of his direct impact on Jokic. If the Nuggets take out the Thunder with a refreshed Jokic, the center of attention will not only be the three-time MVP, but his backup.
Keeler: We’ve learned — the hard way — how important it is to keep Jokic, Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon fresh for the postseason. But you know who else looked a little leggy last spring? The Avs’ top D-man pairing of Cale Makar and Devon Toews. With Burns on board for depth. Makar’s now on a pace for his lowest average time-on-ice (TOI) in two years. Toews is logging his lowest average TOI since joining Colorado five years ago. It’s not about how you start this marathon. It’s how you finish.
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