Kyle Burroughs’ NHL journey started in Colorado. Now, he’s heading to Dallas — a team that has long been one of the Avalanche’s most hated rivals in the Western Conference.
The Dallas Stars announced Thursday that they signed Burroughs to a one-year, two-way contract, adding a physical defenseman with NHL experience and a history that connects him back to the Avalanche organization.
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For Colorado fans, Burroughs is not a new name.
The defenseman was part of a 2020 trade that sent forward A.J. Greer to the New York Islanders, with Colorado acquiring Burroughs in hopes of adding depth to its prospect pool. After joining the Avalanche, he impressed coaches enough to make his way through training camp to earn his first NHL opportunity.
Burroughs made his NHL debut on April 5, 2021, against the Minnesota Wild at Xcel Energy Center, helping Colorado secure a 5-4 victory. Two nights later, he picked up his first career point when he assisted on an André Burakovsky goal.
It was a small sample size — just five games with the Avalanche — but it was a significant step for a player who had spent years trying to earn his way into the league after being selected in the seventh round of the 2013 NHL Draft by the New York Islanders.
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After his time in Colorado, Burroughs signed with the Vancouver Canucks in 2021 and continued building an NHL career based around the traits that made him valuable: physicality, toughness and reliability.
That identity has followed him throughout his career.
The 30-year-old defenseman has appeared in 201 NHL games with the Avalanche, Canucks, San Jose Sharks and Los Angeles Kings, collecting 22 points while establishing himself as a player coaches trust in difficult minutes.
His game has always been defined more by what happens away from the scoresheet. Burroughs has recorded 572 hits and 293 blocked shots during his NHL career, including 233 hits during the 2023-24 season with San Jose, which ranked among the league leaders.
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Last season, Burroughs spent most of the year with the Ontario Reign, the AHL affiliate of the Kings. In 18 games, he recorded seven points (one goal and six assists), setting a career high with 0.39 points per game among AHL seasons.
Now, he joins a Dallas team looking for more depth on the blue line.
“We are happy to welcome Kyle and his family to the Stars organization,” Stars general manager Jim Nill said. “Kyle is a player that we know can bring a physical element to the ice and will provide our defensive core with some added depth.”
The move also adds another interesting wrinkle to the Avalanche-Stars rivalry.
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Colorado and Dallas have developed plenty of history over the years, including several postseason battles that have helped define the Western Conference landscape. Burroughs may not be expected to play a major role against his former organization, but he now finds himself on the other side of a rivalry he once watched from Colorado’s locker room.
For Burroughs, it’s another opportunity to prove he belongs at the NHL level.
For Avalanche fans, it’s a reminder of one of the many players who passed through Colorado’s system before finding a longer-term role elsewhere.
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