Alex Burrows has had better seasons than the one he had in 2015-16, but that's probably because he was a regular linemate of Daniel and Henrik Sedin for most of his glory years. Last year saw him bumped down the depth chart as the Canucks went in another direction, of sorts, handing his sweet gig to Jannik Hansen, who just happened to have a career year. Strange.
Still, thanks to a little luck and some muscle memory from his Sedin years, Burrows did manage to pot nine goals. It's not ideal for a guy making $4.5 million dollars a season, but considering he bounced up and down the lineup, playing with a rotating cast of Vancouver's reclamation projects -- not to mention he was on the 2015-16 Canucks, who were nigh allergic to scoring -- I'd say he did all right. I expect more offence out of him next year, of course: Burrows needs 16 more goals to reach 200.
1 | October 7 vs Calgary Flames
Plucked from the Sedin line to start the season, Burrows opened the 2015-16 campaign with a real need to show he could connect with other skaters, and it didn't take him long. In the first game of the year, the winger hooked up with Dennis Wideman for a tip-in. Granted, Wideman plays for the other team, but still -- it was a pretty nice tip. That said, I don't think the NHL needs tipping, since they already pay their skaters a living wage.
2 | October 29 vs Dallas Stars
Here's a weird fact: despite being a major offensive contributor on what was, for much of his time as a Canuck, a pretty punchy team, Burrows came into last season without a single career penalty shot goal. He finally notched one versus the Stars after taking a slash on a shorthanded breakaway. Burrows goes to his backup move here, opting against his classic leg kick for a serpentine approach that puts Antti Niemi off balance and opens up a gap between his legs. Goaltending, unlike the fashion world, frowns on thigh gap, and unfortunately for Niemi, he's too fit and too haute to do anything about it.
3 | October 30 vs Arizona Coyotes
Burrows blows a slapshot by Mike Smith for his third goal of the year. It's hardly a dangerous spot from which to fire a puck, but a deflection by the defender puts the disc on end, and it handcuffs Mike Smith and finds a way inside the post. John Garrett points out that Smith isn't square, and that's definitely a problem: if Smith had been square, he'd have been a much wider shape, and there probably wouldn't have been room for this puck to get past him. Just my two cents.
4 | November 14 vs Toronto Maple Leafs
Burrows plays the net-front presence on this powerplay goal, tipping Yannick Weber's shot home to cut Toronto's lead in half. I always liked Burrows as a net-front guy. He's not the biggest, but he's tough to move without taking a penalty, because the moment with you engage with him, he starts doing obnoxious things. Maybe that's why he's all alone on this goal. No one wants to get bitten.
5 | November 21 vs Chicago Blackhawks
Goal number four was scored right in front of the net. Number five is scored as far away as one can possibly be. A foot left or right and Burrows ices the puck here, but instead, he splits the uprights and ices the win.Â
6 | January 19 vs New York Rangers
Emerson Etem is the star on this goal, doing some great work along the boards to get this play started. Granted, he loses control of the puck with no one anywhere near him, which is hardly ideal, but it all works out when Linden Vey pokes the puck back to him and he centers for a wide-open Burrows. If Burrows' celebration seems a little overexcited, remember that he hadn't scored in 25 games. Relief doesn't just wash over him -- it bowls him over.Â
7 | January 21 vs Boston Bruins
The Bruins hate Burrows more than any other Canuck, I think, so this goal is a steaming bowl of schadenfreude for Canucks fans. It's a bit of a broken play, with little danger to speak of right until the moment the puck squirts free to Burrows on the far side. He skates out to it, then swivels and blows the puck by Boston's netminder with a wicked rude slapshot.
8 | March 5 vs San Jose Sharks
Another empty-netter for Burrows, who blows by his man in the neutral zone to score an easy one. I'd suggest this won't be his last as a Canuck. Burrows may be losing his fastball a little as a scorer, but he remains an excellent defensive player -- the kind you want on the ice when you're trying to nurse home a lead.Â
9 | March 27 vs Chicago Blackhawks
That said, Burrows can still score the occasional goal. He's a great finisher in close, as his years of work with the Sedin twins have trained him to be ready for any puck that finds its way into the slot. That skill is on display here, as Linden Vey's hopeful flip pass finds Burrows cutting to the net, and he swats it home before it even hits the ice. That's a tough shot for anyone unused to taking Henrik Sedin saucers all night.
