Ducks Acquire Rene Bourque
steve laidlaw
2014-11-20
Fantasy Impact: The Ducks acquire Rene Bourque from the Canadiens for Bryan Allen.
The Ducks get: A confounding power forward with a good blend of size and skill but a questionable motor. Bourque also appears as though he might be past his expiration date.
The Canadiens get: A plodding bottom-pairing defenseman capable of providing some value as an enforcer.
Fantasy Players Impacted: Escaping the minor leagues is obviously a plus for Bourque but this doesn't necessarily make Bourque an asset worth owning. He does have that intriguing blend of size and skill mentioned above but it has been a long time since he has displayed it. Not since 2010-11 has Bourque been a fantasy asset worth owning.
He's also a bit of an odd fit on a team built on solid two-way forwards with a bunch of speed. He could potentially be a fit on the left side with Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry as the Ducks continue to look for a permanent option there. Apparently Dany Heatley's corpse isn't working out. Who'd have thunk it?
But Bourque is redundant with both Patrick Maroon and Devante Smith-Pelly being younger, cheaper and more intriguing options. Bourque is a "veteran presence" however and is coming off an impressive playoff run with the Canadiens where he led the team in goals. Perhaps he has Bryan-Bickell-esque playoff intangibles.
Fantasy Players this helps, in order:
Rene Bourque (because you know, not minors)
Fantasy Players this hurts, in order:
Devante Smith-Pelly
Rickard Rackell
Dany Heatley's corpse