Sharks trade Brent Burns to Hurricanes in NHL blockbuster

Sharks trade franchise icon Burns to Hurricanes in blockbuster originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea

Another Sharks staple is heading out the door after the team traded Brent Burns to the Carolina Hurricanes on Wednesday.

The Sharks are sending Brent Burns and AHL forward Lane Pederson to the hurricanes for Steven Lorentz, goalie prospect Eetu Makiniemi and a conditional 2023 third-round pick, as first reported by The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun.

The Sharks and Hurricanes officially announced the trade on Wednesday afternoon.

Per the team, the Sharks are retaining 34 percent of Burns’ contract. The 37-year-old defenseman has three years left on his contract with an $8 million annual average value, meaning San Jose will retain a $2.72 million cap hit over the next three seasons.

Burns had a three-team trade clause that didn’t include the Hurricanes, but the trade means the defenseman ultimately agreed to the deal. General manager Mike Grier on Monday said he would let Burns “lead the way” when it came to potential trade discussions.

“Brent has been an integral part of the San Jose Sharks success over the past 11 seasons,” Grier said Wednesday in a release.  “His accomplishments on the ice speak for themselves and he leaves a legacy in San Jose that will be felt well into the future.  We thank Brent, his wife Susan and kids Jagger, Peyton and Olivia for all they have contributed to our organization over the years and wish them the best moving forward.”

Burns played in San Jose for over a decade after being traded to the Sharks by the Minnesota Wild in 2011, and the team went on to make the NHL playoffs eight times since then — including a Stanley Cup Final appearance in 2016.

The Sharks’ decision to have Burns focus on playing defense turned him into a force to be reckoned with on the ice. The six-time NHL All-Star was the Norris Trophy winner as the league’s top defenseman in 2017 and has 227 goals with 550 assists across 1,251 career games with the Sharks…