ST. LOUIS — Gabriel Bourque was drafted by Nashville in 2009 at age 18, broke into the NHL with the Predators during the 2011-12 season, became a mainstay forward and then helped the team make the playoffs in 2015.
Great start. Then he turned 25.
Suddenly, he became a journeyman forward, primarily playing in the American Hockey League but keeping his family on its toes with an occasional NHL call-up.
Signed by the Avalanche as a free agent in 2016, Bourque hopes his journey keeps him in Colorado, where he can settle in with his wife and two young children, ages 4 and 2.