When the Colorado Avalanche brought Rene Bourque to training camp on a PTO, I thought he would certainly be cut. I thought the team wanted to bring in some competition for the young guns while the core was away at the World Cup of Hockey, and then let him go on his way.
Instead, Bourque was arguably the best player in the preseason, and was rewarded with a well-deserved one-year deal. During the season, he has continued to contribute beyond expectations, and be one of the bright spots in the Avalanche depth chart.
In fact, Bourque is currently the third-best possession player on the team and fifth in goals scored.