Colorado Avalanche: Gabriel Bourque is a Surprising Addition
The Colorado Avalanche look good to offer left wing Gabriel Bourque a contract, which is surprising. It could be an indicator of the new team identity.
The Colorado Avalanche spent three years getting bigger and grittier. Now they seem to be looking at lighter, fleeter players.
Case in point left wing Gabriel Bourque, who’s on a PTO contract with the team. Bourque is a short 5-foot-9 — an inch shorter than offensive defenseman Tyson Barrie. Bourque is a compact 206 pounds, though.
Gabriel is known as being a tenacious winger with some speed and just a little offensive creativity. His talent is for forechecking, though he can be relatively easy to knock off the puck.
As with smaller players, injury can be a problem. Bourque was unable to complete a full season with the Nashville Predators, who drafted him in 2009. In five years, he’s played 242 games, earning 78 points (31 goals, 47 assists).
Gabriel Bourque had a good 2013-14 season, playing 74 games and getting 9 goals and 17 assists. The previous year he played half the season with Nashville and earned 11 goals and 5 assists in just 34 games.
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Last season injury and illness limited Gabriel Bourque to just 22 games with the Predators. He scored a single goal and earned three assists. Nashville didn’t make a qualifying offer, so he became an unrestricted free agent.
On September 1, 2016, Bourque signed his PTO contract with the Colorado Avalanche. Apparently he’s impressing the hell out of the coaching staff. According to Mike Chambers of the Denver Post, the Avalanche are pretty likely to offer him a contract before the season begins.
I’m not sure what’s been so impressive. He’s played two preseason games. He has a single assists and just four shots on goal. He did get two penalties — one for roughing and one for boarding. That’s pretty scrappy.
And apparently it was impressive enough for Jared Bednar to give Bourque the alternate captaincy for his second-ever game (a preseason one) as an Avalanche. I’m guessing that was just temporary, but… I can’t figure the move out.
Chambers quoted Bednar as saying the he put the A on Gabriel’s chest because “he’s having a great camp.”
Anyway, all of that makes it look pretty likely that we’ll see Gabriel Bourque on the Colorado Avalanche roster this season. He seems a little small for the checking line. I’m guessing he’ll be a fourth liner or a 13th forward most nights.
And for all we know, he may be our alternate captain. I don’t know about you, but I’d rather see Cody McLeod keep the letter in that case.
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