SAN JOSE – At one point in his career, Sharks defenseman Brent Burns welcomed the idea of playing multiple positions.
Drafted as a winger by the Minnesota Wild 20th overall in 2003, then-coach Jacques Lemaire was the first to try Burns on the blue line.
“Pregame skates as a d-man, warm up as a winger, game maybe both,” Burns said. “At that time I was young, it kind of took a lot of stress off. It was fun. I learned a lot from him, too.”
Eventually Burns became a full-time blueliner with the Wild, and that’s why the Sharks targeted him as Dan Boyle’s eventual replacement in the summer of 2011.