Boucher lauds Burrows' debut: 'Wonder what people think of the trade now'

Guy Boucher had a message for the haters after Alex Burrows' memorable debut with the Ottawa Senators.

"I wonder what people think of the trade now," the Senators head coach quipped to TSN 1200 after Burrows provided all of Ottawa's offense in a 2-1 victory over the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday night.

Watch: Burrows snipes 2nd of the game

The new acquisition's impact on his teammates was apparently immediate.

"What I like about Alex is already on the bench, he was already starting to do his thing," Boucher said.

"He blocks shots, he had some huge hits, he's just a relentless guy and everything he does he does with everything he's got and that's contagious. That's exactly what we needed, that's what we wanted to have with our top-end players ... so we're more than excited to have him here."

The Senators took a beating on social media after giving up talented prospect Jonathan Dahlen in the trade that landed them Burrows from the Vancouver Canucks on Monday, then took even more heat for signing the 35-year-old forward to a two-year contract extension shortly thereafter.

It's only one game, and it shouldn't silence the scrutiny, but Burrows certainly made a statement in his first time playing for a different team in his 12-year career.