Brent Burns: Wild card for the Olympics?
By Bryan Thiel
Over the next four months, all people will talk about is who is in position to nail down a spot on Canada’s Olympic roster.
While there aren’t many open spots, thanks to a slew of returning and talented players on Canada’s roster, there are some spots open for the younger battery to make an impact and get their feet wet at the international level.
How useful that turns out to be remains to be seen, as the NHL must determine its inentions for the next Olympics - but that’s another bridge that’ll be crossed when we get there.
With players such as Jonathan Toews and Patrick Sharp battling for the Maple Leaf, we forget that there are a handful of defencemen trying to eek out a final spot.
At the outset of camp, one player who was thought to have had a great shot at making the Olympic roster was Brent Burns.
Word from the West was that Burns looked great during camp. He skated well with good awareness, which is important for him, after suffering a season-ending concussion last season.
All looked promising for the former-forward, as well. He would be returning to a team in Minnesota that planned to open its system and become more offence-oriented. Granted there would be a bit of a let-down with the loss of Marian Gaborik’s dynamic abilities, but with Martin Havlat replacing him, and Burns already having a 43-point season on his resume, you wouldn’t think there’s a terrible drop off.
With all of those positives, one would hope for, or even expect, Burns to come out of the gate firing.
Well not so fast.
Currently, Burns sits in unfamiliar territory. After just seven games, his plus/minus sits 637th in the League, or in other words: Last.
His minus-nine rating over the first seven games of the season is the worst rating in a seven-game period ever, ecplipsing a 2007/08 streak when he was minus-six in seven games.
That’s right. Brent Burns, a plus-21 over the past three seasons, is a minus-nine. He’s tied with Brendan Witt right now, and while it’s not surprising Witt is so low on the list, this is not where Burns wanted to be, Olympic Audition or not.
To be tied with Brendan Witt in plus/minus is like winning the “Most Fingers” battle in a deep South lumberjack competition. Sure you win that competition (well… Burns is leading… kind of), but will you really tell people about this? Probably not.
To go along with that, Greg Zanon - a shut-down defender brought in over the off-season by Minny - is just two points ahead of Burns at minus-seven. It’s almost like winning a conjoined-twins bikini contest.
Strange references or not, that’s not where it ends for Burns.
If he were producing, I'm not sure Burns' rating would be either: a) Swallowable (there I go making up words again…); or, b) Better. Unfortunately for him, production has been hard to come by for Burns this year.
With a power play goal in one of the team’s final pre-season contests, Burns looked like he was set for the season.
Then again, the season is always different. Burns came out of the gate at a trot, with one point in his first two games. Since then, he has been held off the scoresheet for five straight games - just the third time he’s been scoreless for five or more games since a 20-game pointless streak back in 2006/07.
This isn’t the Brent Burns that we expected to see.
Talent is a funny thing though. Over his career, Burns has displayed that talent and become a great, yet under-rated defenceman. That doesn’t go away over night.
Unfortunately for Burns, he’s just stuck in the worst slump of his career at the worst possible time.
Fortunately, it’s the beginning of the year. The season is just seven games old and Burns isn’t the only one working out kinks. Brent Burns can get back on his feet, rebound, and still be able to make Team Canada. The Detroit Red Wings can divide four by two and reach second in the division easily.
Hell, the Maple Leafs may even win a game. It may (or may not) be against the Islanders, but they still could win one.
The point is, while it’s not the best of times, Burns is getting the worst of times out of the way early-on.
