Last summer, after Rene Bourque had an unproductive season with the Columbus Blue Jackets and his six-year, $20 million contract expired, no NHL team jumped in to sign him as an unrestricted free agent.
Although he had 151 career goals, Bourque seemed to have played himself out of the league. But the Avalanche brought him to training camp on a professional tryout agreement. After he made the team and signed a one-year, $650,000 contract — if that’s not bargain basement, it’s at least below street level — he was the Avalanche’s leading goal scorer at the end of November, with eight.