Colorado Avalanche acquire Caleb Jones from Carolina Hurricanes for Callahan Burke

With the NHL kicking off the 2023-24 regular season today, we have our first trade.

The Colorado Avalanche have acquired defenseman Caleb Jones from the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for forward Callahan Burke.

Jones, 26, has spent the past three full seasons in the NHL. He registered a career-best 16 points and 73 games played with the Chicago Blackhawks last year, joining his brother on the blueline. It was the younger Jones’ second year with the Blackhawks, having registered 15 points in 51 games the season prior.

Drafted 117th overall by Edmonton in 2015, Jones made his NHL debut with the Oilers in 2018-19, spending three seasons there. He last played in the AHL in 2019-20, and looks destined to return to the minor leagues after originally getting sent down to the Colorado Eagles by Carolina over the weekend. Now, he’ll join the team as a full-time member of the Avalanche organization, with one more year left on his deal at $775,000. The move will give Colorado some extra depth for the time being.

Burke, 26, has spent his entire pro career in the Avalanche organization. After four years at the University of Notre Dame, which included serving as captain in 2019-20, he signed his first pro contract in 2020, where he spent two years playing solely with the Eagles. Burke then made his NHL debut last year, recording no points in two games. He set a career-best 39 points with the Eagles last year, as well recording another four points in seven playoff games.

Burke will remain with the Eagles, with the Hurricanes not having their own AHL affiliate.

The Eagles are set to kick off the AHL season with four straight games against the Grand Rapids Griffins. The first two will come on the road in Michigan this weekend, before hosting the Griffins the following weekend.