Buzz about Burnzie: trade, Babcock blues, animals, and that tattoo!

I’ve been reading a lot lately about Brent Burns. I decided I was gonna give a personal rating about the buzz surrounding him. Let’s get started!

The buzz about him makes sense from strictly a hockey point of view: Former 1st round pick, 6’5″ smooth puck moving D-man, 46 point man last year. He is a young and tough player that will hopefully step up and provide offence for the Shark’s blueline. I give that a +2

But what about those fans who say “So what? It looks good on paper but he was traded for Seto, prospect Coyle, and a first rounder? Gimme a break!” I know that I was a bit shocked when Devin Setoguchi was traded shortly after signing a 3 year deal. I thought he was a good player who still had a lot of potential here in San Jose. So let’s say -3 because that is a lot to give up. Burnzie you are falling behind at -1.

Wait a second… concussion issues? Hmmm… I don’t recall Seto having those… Let’s say -2. Ok Burnzie you’re falling further back at -3.

But I then started to think differently about this deal when I read about the reaction from Mike Babcock, the head coach of the Detroit Red Wings. Apparently when he found out about the trade, Babcock looked like a guy who just lost his dog and said that the Sharks “Hit a home run,” with the trade and also was “pissed” about it. Read more about Babcock’s comments here. Ok so we have the Red Wings coach unhappy that the Sharks acquired Burns. That’s a +3 because Detroit is a huge pain in the playoffs! You’re doing good Burnzie! You’re back to even!

I have been reading that Burns has already begun to fit in well with his teammates and is saying all the right things about the city and the fans that pack the Shark Tank. You can read about some of his comments here. I think that’s important for a new player. The sooner he can fit in with the go-to guys on the team, like a Dan Boyle, the better off the Sharks will be. I’ll give that a +2 because of the chemistry with teammates and good San Jose vibe he is sending out. You’re picking up steam Burnzie! +2 overall!

Whoa and then I read that Burns really loves animals, and owns so many different animals that he called his home in St. Paul “Burns Zoo.” I like animals too… not to this extent… but ok that’s actually pretty cool. How about a +1 for being interesting? You’re at +3 Burnzie, you’re on a roll!

And finally there is the massive Harry Potter tattoo that he has. That has been getting some attention on twitter and around the interwebz. Burns says that he has always liked books. *** Uh oh… the teacher in me is coming out… Burnzie you get a +infinity for saying that you read, and more importantly, like to read. That is the kind of stuff that we need our kids to hear from role models.

So in the end Brent Burns comes out on top of my silly personal ratings. Yet there are still some concerns about his past injury issues and that maybe the Sharks gave up too much for him. He just signed a 5 year contract extension with San Jose so he won’t be going anywhere for a while. I hope he does well and lives up to all the buzz surrounding him. Welcome to the Sharks, Burnzie!!

*Let’s start a trend here and make up some neat Harry Potter nicknames for Burnzie! I’ll get the list started:

–> Hufflepuff becomes Burnzlebuff

… That’s… That’s all I’ve got… Any suggestions would be appreciated!

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