With top-six forward Clarke MacArthur out for the season because of a concussion, Senators general manager Pierre Dorion knew he'd eventually have to replace him.
"I made a list of potential candidates that could come and take [MacArthur's] spot in the lineup and I feel Alex is going to do that with the intangibles, the character that he brings, the leadership that also Clarke had," Dorion said. "We hope [MacArthur] can be back at some point in time next year. Until then if we could add somebody like Alex ... we had to do something like this."
Burrows, a pending unrestricted free agent, signed a two-year, $5 million contract worth an average annual value of $2.5 million on Tuesday, the Senators announced. It also includes a 10-team no trade list. Burrows has 20 points (nine goals, 11 assists) and 53 penalty minutes in 55 games this season.
A native of Pincourt, Quebec, Burrows said he welcomed the chance to move closer to home.
"I wanted to go to a team that was a good fit for me hockey wise, but at the same time, family wise," Burrows said. "There wasn't really a perfect situation, but I think Ottawa is pretty close to perfect for me. Close to home, back east, my parents will be able to watch games at 7 instead of 10 o'clock. It's going to be an easy drive for my friends and my family to come down to Ottawa and cheer me on.
"It's a Canadian city, a Canadian market and I like their team and I really believe they have a shot at winning. Their window is just opening right now. They have a lot of pieces. They seem to have a total buy in of what [coach] Guy Boucher is selling. They're playing well, they're playing the right way. That's really interesting for me. I could really see the Sens and myself come out of the division if we get to the playoffs and everything goes accordingly."
Signed as an undrafted free agent by the Canucks, Burrows has 34 points (19 goals, 15 assists) in 70 Stanley Cup Playoff games.
"We're elated," Dorion said. "The fun for me is when I have three of four, I think it was five key veterans in our locker room come up. One wanted to hug me and the other three shook my hand and felt this was a great move for our organization today.
"I think we have become a tougher team to play against [this season], but with the acquisition of Alex Burrows today we've become an even tougher team to play against."