Sharks defenseman lays out Golden Knights winger, forced to answer the bell with enforcer

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Mike Armenti
October 13, 2023 (11:05)

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It was a summer of fun and celebration for the Vegas Golden Knights after securing their first Stanley Cup victory in franchise history, just 6 seasons into their existence. Conversely, it was a summer of work for the San Jose Sharks, who are currently in the midst of their rebuilding phase after a solid run of postseason success spanning quite a few years, but ultimately falling short of their ultimate goal under a leadership group that consisted of Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau, Logan Couture, Brent Burns and Erik Karlsson, among others.

Why am I linking these teams to one another, because they faced off last night, with the Golden Knights skating away with a 4-1 win, moving to 2-0-0 on the season.

Each team has something to prove this season. For the Golden Knights, it will be proving that last season wasn't a fluke. For the Sharks, it's proving that they can begin to turn a corner and trend upwards over the next couple of seasons.

Many may be writing off the Sharks this season, but there are a number of players who are hungry to show what they can do with expanded roles on a rebuilding team. 28-year-old Kyle Burroughs among them.

Burroughs' physicality was on display last night after he steamrolled Golden Knights winger Michael Amadio, leading to an altercation with Golden Knights enforcer Keegan Kolesar, with the two squaring off in a fight early on in the game.

Kolesar may have gotten the better of the exchange, but credit to Burroughs who certainly stood in there and didn't back down.

With Erik Karlsson now in Pittsburgh, Burroughs has stepped into a top pairing role for the Sharks this season, skating with Mario Ferraro. He looks intent on leaving it all out on the ice this season in hopes of further establishing himself as a quality NHL defenseman.

Burroughs is in the first year of a three-year deal worth a total of $3.3 million ($1.1M AAV).