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#17 René Bourque 2012-2013


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As much as I was in favor of giving him a second chance in 2012-2013 with the signings of Travis Moen AND Brandon Prust I'm wondering if it might be better to find a trading partner. Unless Bourque can really grab hold of that second line winger position I think we have filled our quota of bottom six forwards now.

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As much as I was in favor of giving him a second chance in 2012-2013 with the signings of Travis Moen AND Brandon Prust I'm wondering if it might be better to find a trading partner. Unless Bourque can really grab hold of that second line winger position I think we have filled our quota of bottom six forwards now.

Problem is, who will take him? Its a tricky contract - its not abysmally high or anything but I would suggest there are very few teams out there looking for such an up and down player with such a long contract.

I agree though - with the signing MB has made, it sure feels like we'll be in for some trades prior to camp.

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Hang on. All of this discussion about demoting Scott Gomez to the minors. Heck, it'd be less of a deal to send Bourque there. If Rene cannot perform better this season than he did to finish the year and for some reason we need cap relief, it seems to me that we could always demote HIM to the minors as well.

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Hang on. All of this discussion about demoting Scott Gomez to the minors. Heck, it'd be less of a deal to send Bourque there. If Rene cannot perform better this season than he did to finish the year and for some reason we need cap relief, it seems to me that we could always demote HIM to the minors as well.

I don't like the term of his contract, but that seems extreme/premature for a guy coming off a dissapointing half season with us. He still put up back to back 27 goal season in the last two years and he's making less than $3.5M.

We're all penciling him onto the 3rd line, but realistically he's probably still our best chance at a solution for that top 6 LW spot.

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I don't like the term of his contract, but that seems extreme/premature for a guy coming off a dissapointing half season with us. He still put up back to back 27 goal season in the last two years and he's making less than $3.5M.

We're all penciling him onto the 3rd line, but realistically he's probably still our best chance at a solution for that top 6 LW spot.

Fair enough. I'm thinking more along the lines of his performance continues to slip for the first half of 2012-2013 and we need the cap space for something. Which is unlikely.

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Hang on. All of this discussion about demoting Scott Gomez to the minors. Heck, it'd be less of a deal to send Bourque there. If Rene cannot perform better this season than he did to finish the year and for some reason we need cap relief, it seems to me that we could always demote HIM to the minors as well.

Unlike Gomez, I think that if we shop him good than there would be a few teams willing to take his services, we might even get something good if we include him in a package.

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Well, he certainly didn't inspire confidence last season, but I can't understand the urge to dump him or label him as a bottom-6 forward. If someone offered us a player who had several 27G seasons, we would jump all over him and say our 2nd line LW position is now filled. So, aside from a poor half a seasong, that he admitted was largely due to the suspensions getting to him, why do we now think Rene is fit to be cast off?

He's a) large, B ) hits, c) shoots first.

Aren't these the exact criteria we all want to fill that whole in the 2nd line LW with?

The only problem that I can see with putting him there, is that it leaves Eller with nothing but checkers, which will severly limit his ability to develop as a scorer.

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Well, he certainly didn't inspire confidence last season, but I can't understand the urge to dump him or label him as a bottom-6 forward. If someone offered us a player who had several 27G seasons, we would jump all over him and say our 2nd line LW position is now filled. So, aside from a poor half a seasong, that he admitted was largely due to the suspensions getting to him, why do we now think Rene is fit to be cast off?

He's a) large, B ) hits, c) shoots first.

Aren't these the exact criteria we all want to fill that whole in the 2nd line LW with?

The only problem that I can see with putting him there, is that it leaves Eller with nothing but checkers, which will severly limit his ability to develop as a scorer.

He's Andrei Kostitsyn with more high-end past success and less hitting. So, most of the posts are similar sentiments to those we all felt for AK. He's good but none of us are sold on what he's going to bring to the table night after night much like AK, on the nights they are good they can be almost great on others you forget they played.

AK was and remains a viable top 9 forward as does Bourque, I think all of us and every coach both of them have ever had just wishes they represented more a known commodity nightly, like a Cole, Plekanec or Gionta. At the end of the day, inconsistency is what seperates good players from star players. A star has temporary slumps, good players can take a production hiatus. Bourque falls in the latter category. As a fanbase, we're craving a star.

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Well of course we are craving a star, but expecting a guy paid a relative pittance to be that star is a tad far fetched. He's paid, as a low-end 2nd liner, high end third-liner. If he performs to career averages, he represents a solid 2nd line LW.

I know that we are all quite caught up in the idea that players rapidly decline from career averages at the moment, but I don't think have a season's evidence is sufficent to cast that same shadow on Bourque's career. Not to mention, when he was traded here he had a) been suspended, B) was brought into a disaster of a room, and c) bounced around lines without the ability to form chemistry with anyone.

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Well of course we are craving a star, but expecting a guy paid a relative pittance to be that star is a tad far fetched. He's paid, as a low-end 2nd liner, high end third-liner. If he performs to career averages, he represents a solid 2nd line LW.

I know that we are all quite caught up in the idea that players rapidly decline from career averages at the moment, but I don't think have a season's evidence is sufficent to cast that same shadow on Bourque's career. Not to mention, when he was traded here he had a) been suspended, B) was brought into a disaster of a room, and c) bounced around lines without the ability to form chemistry with anyone.

And before those things occurred he was on pace for his usual 27 goals. We're really only looking at a half disaster of a season (which actually looks worse because it happens to be the half he played here).

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And before those things occurred he was on pace for his usual 27 goals. We're really only looking at a half disaster of a season (which actually looks worse because it happens to be the half he played here).

Yes, he had 13 goals in half a season with Calgary but he also had only 3 assists over there. Which is quite weird.

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Apparently Rene has been working out like crazy and intends to come to camp in great shape which should pay dividends for Bourque,his linemates and the Habs.This guy was being raved about at the beginning of last season let's see how his year starts and hopefully he finds consistency in his game also,as this has been a lingering rumor about his tendencies.Therrien isn't the type of coach that gives icetime to players that haven't earned the time.

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Apparently Rene has been working out like crazy and intends to come to camp in great shape which should pay dividends for Bourque,his linemates and the Habs.This guy was being raved about at the beginning of last season let's see how his year starts and hopefully he finds consistency in his game also,as this has been a lingering rumor about his tendencies.Therrien isn't the type of coach that gives icetime to players that haven't earned the time.

Hopefully this is true. It'd be awesome if he came into camp, performed really well, and earned that second line left wing spot. One can only hope he has it in him to hit 45-50 points this year. I'd be more than happy with that.

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If this guy can somehow find his scoring touch, our top 6 is decent shape. If not it's gonna be a very long season again.

Even if he finds his scoring touch and scores 25 goals it may STILL be a very long season. :lol: If Rene can perform better than he did last season (shouldn't be too hard) at least it puts the team in a better position. However, an injury to Pacioretty, Plekanec, or Cole and we might be in trouble to produce goals.

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Even if he finds his scoring touch and scores 25 goals it may STILL be a very long season. :lol: If Rene can perform better than he did last season (shouldn't be too hard) at least it puts the team in a better position. However, an injury to Pacioretty, Plekanec, or Cole and we might be in trouble to produce goals.

Don't jinx it, JR. I refuse to talk about injuries on this board :P

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Don't jinx it, JR. I refuse to talk about injuries on this board :P

Well... We might as well accept the fact that we are going to suffer injuries. I don't know if it something in the water, but haven't we sustained an abnormally large amount of them over the past two or three seasons? :lol: Hopefully this year will be different.

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Well... We might as well accept the fact that we are going to suffer injuries. I don't know if it something in the water, but haven't we sustained an abnormally large amount of them over the past two or three seasons? :lol: Hopefully this year will be different.

I agree, no doubt ignoring the inevitable. I do believe we're in much better shape this year if we do suffer significant injuries, lots of young talent that can step in and show the brass what they can do

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Well... We might as well accept the fact that we are going to suffer injuries. I don't know if it something in the water, but haven't we sustained an abnormally large amount of them over the past two or three seasons? :lol: Hopefully this year will be different.

Not the water , just not enough air left to breathe with Gauthier around. Now with blood and muscles oxygenated enough, they should be more resilient B)

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Well... We might as well accept the fact that we are going to suffer injuries. I don't know if it something in the water, but haven't we sustained an abnormally large amount of them over the past two or three seasons? :lol: Hopefully this year will be different.

Doesn't explain 07-08 though, we were basically injury free and finished 1st in the east.

Btw, that was the last time we got through a season without major injuries to key players.

But re-signing Bluden and signing soupy tells me that MB is expecting injuries and isn't waiting for injuries to sign replacements.

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Doesn't explain 07-08 though, we were basically injury free and finished 1st in the east.

Btw, that was the last time we got through a season without major injuries to key players.

But re-signing Bluden and signing soupy tells me that MB is expecting injuries and isn't waiting for injuries to sign replacements.

wait you can do that?

708601_pierre-gauthier.jpg

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