Montreal Canadiens: The positive end of the Alex Burrows hire

The Montreal Canadiens brought Alex Burrows into the organization as an assistant coach with the Laval Rocket, but what can he bring to the table?

The decision to hire Alex Burrows came as a shock to Montreal Canadiens fans. A big part of that was because the hire came minutes after his retirement was announced to the hockey world. Burrows walked away from 13 year NHL career where most of his success came in a Vancouver Canucks uniform.

He was traded to the Ottawa Senators ahead of the 2017 Trade Deadline and a part of that deep run that saw the team a goal away from making the Stanley Cup Final. The following season didn’t go so well for the entire team. With a new direction in view, the Senators chose to buy out the final year of Burrow’s contract. Instead, he chose to retire.

Ignoring his reputation as a player, there is a positive message from this move.

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Burrows has an interesting story that got him to the professional scheme of hockey. He started in the ECHL playing for the Greenville Grrrowl and Baton Rouge Kingfish in the 2002-03 season. The Quebec native found himself on a new team the following season in the Columbia Inferno where he finished second in scoring with 29 goals and 44 assists in 64 games.

The AHL was his next upgrade fulfilling a contract signed earlier that year with the Manitoba Moose. They were the Canuck’s affiliate team at the time, and Burrows played 2 games there that season and more the following year. 9 goals and 17 assists in combination with his energetic play got the then 23-year-old earned his first NHL deal with Vancouver.

Burrows started the 2005-06 season back in Manitoba scoring 30 points in 33 games before getting the NHL call in January, and he never went back. His time in Vancouver peaked between 2008 and 2011 when his goal production fell in the high 20’s including a 35-goal season.

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Developing the younger talent in Laval is one thing, but Burrows can provide them with the experience of perseverance. A lot of these new players in the organization could find themselves in the ECHL next season.

It was a one-way door of player transaction with the Brampton Beast in the 2017-18 season. Players such as Thomas Ebbings, Jordan Boucher, and Michael McNiven were called up, but not many were sent back. Laval signed six players to AHL deals during Free Agent Frenzy, and they could very well end up in the ECHL.

But with hard work, they can end up where they want to be. It’s one thing to tell them that it’s a possibility. Having a person around who has been there and done that will be a benefit to the personnel in the organization.

Next: Breaking Down the Defence Without Weber

As for his abilities as a coach, everyone needs to start somewhere.