After hiring Jared Bednar to fill the Avalanche’s head coaching vacancy, the team turned its attention back to the roster, adding right winger Rene Bourque via a professional try out contract. Bourque, 34, played 49 games for the Columbus Blue Jackets last season, registering just 3 goals and 8 points over that span, a far cry from 20 goal – 50 point player he once was in Calgary.
At 34 years old, Bourque is certainly on the decline and this PTO from the Avalanche could represent his last chance to play in the NHL, but, with stiff competition in the Avs’ bottom six, it seems unlikely that he will actually earn an NHL contract out of training camp.