"We absolutely needed some left-handed centers," Boucher said. "From the outside, I know it's not something that is apparent as a weakness, but when you have all righties as centers either for the faceoffs or power play, we had too many guys fighting for the same spots.
"We wanted left-handed centers for our top two lines. We were able to get a No. 1 center, so we've got [Kyle] Turris as a No. 1, we got Brassard as a No. 1, but he's left-handed, so that gives us a lot more versatility 5-on-5, a lot more tools."
One of the areas Boucher must address is the Senators power play, which was tied for 26th in the League last season (15.8 percent). He said acquiring Brassard, who had 58 points (including a Rangers-high 22 on the power play), is a big step.
"Power play is a lot about lefties and righties being in the right place," Boucher said. "One foot here, one specific skill in that setting makes all the difference. We got exactly what we needed and more. To be honest with you, I never thought Pierre was going to be able to go get a No. 1 center, left-handed. We have all these tools to be able to tap into.
"I think we've added to the personnel we needed. Not because some guys who left were not good. We needed something else specifically, and I think we've really added that. I have to say I'm really happy with more tools in my toolbox to be able to switch things around and have different guys having different roles and not overtaxing some guys doing everything."