The Colorado Avalanche saw two respected veterans hit more than just career milestones in Wednesday night’s win.
Ryan Boulding of NHL.com noted that longtime NHL defenseman Brent Burns passed two prominent blueliners in points. Boulding wrote, “With his assists, Burns reached 950 career points (273 goals, 677 assists) and passed Erik Karlsson and Chris Chelios for sole possession of the 10th-most by a defenseman in NHL history.”
Burns finished with two assists on Wednesday. It will be an interesting race between Burns and Karlsson, who remains active with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Karlsson currently has 948 points and is in his age-36 season, making him a few years younger than Burns. Regardless, 950 points is an impressive milestone.
It is even more impressive to pass Chelios, who played into his age-48 season, appearing in seven contests with the Atlanta Thrashers in 2009-10. If Burns displays that same longevity, he will more than threaten the 1,000-point milestone.
Burns remains a solid point-producer, with five in 13 games this year. He also had 35 in 82 games last season. Burns put up a career-high 83 points in 2018-19, when he was a member of the San Jose Sharks. Ironically, he and Karlsson were teammates at the time.
Gabe Landeskog Moves Into First Place In Avalanche History
Boulding noted that “…Landeskog finished with one hit, moving him past Cody McLeod (1,571) for the most in Avalanche/Nordiques franchise history.”
Landeskog has been one of the more feared hitters in the NHL since his rookie season in 2011-12, when he landed 219 body checks. It took him just over 12 seasons of play to break McLeod’s record. Landeskog also missed three straight regular seasons with a severe knee injury, so returning to set new milestones is nothing short of remarkable.
Landeskog, even at an advanced age (34), has remained an effective player and hitter for this deep Colorado Avalanche team. He landed 86 body checks across 60 games in his first full season back in the lineup in 2025-26.
In 13 games this season, Landeskog has 22 hits. He also has 43 points and 19 goals in his 73 games since returning.
Expect More Sound Production From Burns and Landeskog
Following Colorado’s 5-2 win over the New Jersey Devils, they remain third in the NHL with 54 goals scored across 13 games. That is 4.15 goals per game, so Burns has a chance to keep racking up his points total as he chases 1,000.
Meanwhile, Landeskog will keep getting his body checks in, as they have always been a pivotal part of his game. But his production remains viable, even if he is no longer a point-per-game player.
But these milestones will go far beyond Burns and Landeskog as the 2026-27 season heats up. With Colorado’s high-octane ways, expect players like Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, and Artturi Lehkonen to make their marks as the season progresses.
Colorado will get its next chance to make some noise on Oct. 31, when they will close out the first month of the season against the Calgary Flames. In their previous matchup, Colorado crushed Calgary 7-3, so it may be another good chance for more players to hit some milestones.
Avalanche Veterans Reach Two Major Milestones in Same Game vs. Devils