Brent Burns' Switch to Defense Makes San Jose Sharks a Deeper Club in 2014-15

The San Jose Sharks made only a few small alterations to their lineup after last spring’s historic playoff collapse, but the biggest change may have been moving Brent Burns back from forward to defense.

It’s hard to miss Burns when you walk into the San Jose locker room. The bearded Ajax, Ontario, native stands 6’5” and sports a full beard and numerous tattoos on his body. He’s enthusiastic and loves joking around with his teammates.

Burns has been moved back and forth between forward and defense throughout his hockey career. He played mostly right wing in juniors before being converted to defense by Minnesota Wild coach Jacques Lemaire during the 2003-04 season.

He was moved back to forward by the Sharks late in the 2012-13 season and played well there until the team made the decision to move him back to defense this past summer.

“It was a necessity with Dan Boyle and Brad Stuart leaving our organization,” Sharks head coach Todd McLellan said. “We needed to find some defensemen to fill those holes. He has the ability and the skill set to play back there and is probably a little more comfortable playing back there so, it made sense to do it.”

Burns said he didn’t mind switching back to defense. “I just like to play,” he said. “I like both positions. There have been lots of changes, but it’s been good.”

Burns certainly has some assets that all defensemen need to be successful. Assistant coach Larry Robinson, himself a Hall of Fame defenseman with the Montreal Canadiens and Los Angeles Kings, sees what Burns brings to the table physically. “He has size and a long reach and the ability to get the puck away from [opposing] players,” Robinson said. “Those are God-given talents. He’s big and strong and as long as he uses that size and strength to his advantage.”

Offensively, Burns has been off to a great start. In the first four games of the season, Burns has scored a goal and added five assists including lighting the lamp and picking up an assist in the Sharks 4-3 shootout loss to the New York Islanders Thursday. He also has a plus-three rating and has taken eight shots on goal. Two of his points have come on the power play.

His hard shot is a weapon whether it’s taken from down low as a forward or from the point as a defenseman.

“Offensively, he’s doing great,” Robinson added. “He’s putting up points and scoring goals.”

Defensively, however, Burns remains a work in progress as he readjusts to playing on the blue line. “Like the rest of the group, he’s feeling his way through the first three or four games,” McLellan added. “We see good signs from him and he’s improving night in and night out.”

The biggest area of concern for the coaching staff right now as Burns returns to defense is his decision-making and learning to play with more patience. “At times, he was just all over the place,” Robinson said. “As a defenseman, you have to be under control and react to different situations. That’s the area we’re going to have to work on with him the most, just reading those situations.”

Burns has been paired with younger defensemen thus far this season. Rookie Mirco Mueller has played with Burns in three games and picked up his first NHL point against the New York Islanders, and Matt Irwin scored two goals against the Washington Capitals while playing alongside Burns.

Kathy Willens/Associated Press/Associated Press

“He has [been a positive influence on the younger defensemen],” McLellan said, “and in turn, some of the younger guys have been a positive influence on him back there.”

By playing with younger players, Burns tends to keep things simple on the ice, and that works to his advantage as he gradually gets more comfortable playing his new/old position.

“They both played well,” Burns said of his defense partners. “Obviously, I played with Mirco a lot longer. To see him coming up, being a young guy, he’s played great. He’s got a lot of poise. I just played one game with Matty. Obviously when you score two goals in what, two minutes, it couldn’t have been that bad of a game.”

Burns will play a big role on the San Jose blue line this season. He currently leads all Sharks defensemen with 22:33 of average ice time through four games. That may grow as Burns improves his defensive game over the course of the season.

Robinson is confident that Burns will grow into the position. “He is willing to learn and he does work hard,” Robinson said.

If the big man is successful at making the transition, the Sharks should have a strong and deep defensive corps this year. But if Burns struggles, the loss of Dan Boyle and Brad Stuart may be felt throughout the season and the Sharks will struggle to meet their usual high expectations.

Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained in person by the author.