It's never been easy for Alex Burrows. He began his professional career in the ECHL and managed to work his way into a two-way deal with the Vancouver Canucks on November 8th, 2005. He recorded 30 points in 33 games with the Manitoba Moose and didn't look back as he earned a role in Vancouver. He finished with 913 NHL games with the Vancouver Canucks and the last two seasons with the Ottawa Senators. He tallied 205 goals and 204 assists and came one game away from winning a Stanley Cup in 2011 with the Canucks.
Burrows took the role of assistant coach with the Montreal Canadiens on February 24th, 2021, when Dominique Ducharme took over for Claude Julien. He managed to stick with the Canadiens through the Ducharme tenure when Martin St. Louis took over, but his 2023-24 season will be his last for now behind the bench.
Burrows will now take a role as a consultant in the front office. He will report to Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton about player development in Laval and other front-office decisions. Burrows lives an hour from the Montreal Canadiens facilities in Hudson, Quebec, which led to a long commute and more time away from his family. The decision for Burrows was easy, as he was missing quality time with his wife and three children after a long playing career.
Assistant coaches Trevor Letowski, and Stephane Robidas, and goalie coach Eric Raymond will return to the bench next season, but it's unclear whether they'll replace Burrows. The Habs organization is also searching for a new head coach in Laval, with John Sedgwick, Vincent Lecavalier, and Eric Crawford leading the search. Burrows may also join that team to find the best possible fit.
For the Canadiens, it offers the opportunity to find an assistant coach better suited to run the powerplay. Burrows' performance as a lead of their powerplay was often criticized, as they sat 27th in the league this past season.