On June 24, 2011, San Jose Sharks General Manager Doug Wilson cut a deal that eventually changed the direction of the franchise. At the NHL Draft in St. Paul, Wilson acquired defenseman Brent Burns from the host Minnesota Wild, sending Devin Setoguchi, 2010 first round pick Charlie Coyle, and San Jose’s 2011 first round pick the other way.
Now, almost exactly six years later, Burns is a Norris Trophy winner, and set to enter the first year of an eight-year, $64 million contract, the richest in franchise history. He may not wear the “C,” and with the uncertain futures of Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau, Burns is now the (bearded) face of the Sharks.