The Anaheim Ducks announced today that the team has acquired veteran left wing Rene Bourque from the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for defenseman Bryan Allen.
Bourque, 32, has appeared in 573 career NHL games with Montreal, Calgary, and Chicago, collecting 142-136=278 points with 474 penalty minutes (PIM). The 6-2, 214-pound wing also has significant postseason experience, playing 27 career Stanley Cup Playoff games with Montreal and Calgary, and collecting 11-4=15 points with 59 PIM in the process.
In the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Bourque led Montreal in goals and co-led in hits (52), while also recording his first career playoff hat trick in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Final against the New York Rangers.
This year however, Bourque has been in a scoring drought, producing only 0-2=2 points with six PIM in 13 games with Montreal. That lack of production caused him to be sent down for four games with Hamilton of the American Hockey League, where he registered 2-2=4 points with a +2 rating and four PIM.
In Anaheim, he is expected to get more opportunities to prove himself on the ice.
Allen, 34, has scored 29-106=135 points with 837 PIM in 716 career NHL games with Anaheim, Carolina, Florida, and Vancouver. Signed as a free agent by Anaheim on July 1, 2012, Allen collected 0-17=17 points with a +21 rating and 113 PIM in 115 games as a Duck.
This season he got caught in a numbers game, as the Ducks' roster is deep with defensemen. As a result, Allen played only six games with Anaheim this year, earning one assist (0-1=1) with four PIM.
Selected by Vancouver in the first round (fourth overall) of the 1998 NHL Entry Draft, Allen earned 0-10=10 points with a career-high +20 rating and 75 PIM in 68 games last season. He led club defensemen in PIM and ranked fourth overall in blocked shots (118).
More Ducks News and Notes
In addition to the Bourque deal, the Ducks announced that they reassigned center/right wing Chris Wagner to the Norfolk Admirals, Anaheim’s primary development affiliate in the American Hockey League (AHL).
Anaheim also activated D Francois Beauchemin and RW Devante Smith-Pelly, and placed C William Karlsson on Injured Reserve.
Wagner, 23 (5/27/91), went scoreless with two penalty minutes (PIM) in two games with the Ducks this season. Wagner made his NHL debut on Oct. 17 vs. Minnesota and appeared in his second career game on Nov. 15 at Los Angeles. Recalled from Norfolk on Oct. 15 and Nov. 15, Wagner has collected 6-3=9 points with eight PIM in eight games with the Admirals this season. He currently leads Norfolk in goals and points-per-game (1.1) and co-leads in scoring.
Selected in the fifth round (122nd overall) of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, Wagner was named the CCM/AHL Player of the Week for the period ending Oct. 12 after scoring four goals (4-0=4) with a +3 rating and two PIM. He recorded his second career AHL hat trick, including a career-high two shorthanded goals, in a 5-4 win on Oct. 11 vs. Hershey. In 154 career AHL games with the Admirals, Wagner has scored 28-30=58 points with four shorthanded goals and 141 PIM.
By Staff of TheDailySportsHerald.com and news services
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