Contract Extensions (Nov 22)

The San Jose Sharks took care of paperwork and eased the concerns of many fans of their club, when they re-signed one of the premier blueliners to a contract extension on Tuesday, signing Brent Burns to a maximum 8-year deal.  Of course, that's not the only big number in the deal, Burns will have a cap hit of $8 million per season, over the duration of the deal, totaling a whopping $64 million.

There was certainly concern about whether or not Burns would re-sign with the Sharks or go find some greener pastures elsewhere, since he was set to become an unrestricted free agent, with the face of the NHL landscape changing with the inclusion of the new franchise in Las Vegas.

Currently this season, with a $5.75 million cap hit, he has played in 19 games with the Sharks and he has already posted 7 goals and 9 assists.  He currently ranks 44th overall in pool scoring, 1st among all blueliners in scoring, thus far in the season.  He has certainly established himself as one of the best offensive defensemen and his size makes him one of the most feared defensemen in his own end.

This deal, as we move closer to the 2018 season, will emerge as the cornerstone of the Sharks franchise and they'll have some decisions to make with forwards like Joe Thornton and/or Patrick Marleau, who are both big money guys, even at their age, and the Sharks will still have to contend with restricted free agents like Joonas Donskoi, Melker Karlsson, Matt Nieto and Chris Tierney, all currently on their roster.

It's best not to get too worked up, because there is a lot of business that needs to happen, before anything in terms of contracts will absolutely need to be panned out, including the regular season and the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs.