Posted on May 26, 2012 by Matthew Jacob
The Boston bruins have acquired winger Chris Bourque's rights from the Washington Capitals in exchange for the rights of Zach Hamill. Bourque pictured here is the son of Bruins legend Ray Bourque
Despite being eliminated from this years Stanley Cup Playoffs; the Bruins have been active in?preparation?for the impeding 2012 NHL Entry Draft in Pittsburgh as well as July 1st?s Free Agent day and concentrating on their own free agents. While it is uncommon to move NHL players while the playoffs are still in progress; it is not uncommon to see teams swap minor league talents, picks, and prospects. The Bruins have announced today that they have acquired the rights of Chris Bourque from the Washington Capitals in exchange for former first rounder Zach Hamill?s rights. This deal is no surprise to anyone as the Bruins have had past interests in the young Capitals? winger and the failure of Hamill to amount to anything following his lofty draft position.
Bourque is the son of Boston Bruins legend Raymond Bourque. He was drafted by the Washington Capitals in the early second round during the 2004 NHL Entry Draft. Bourque plays a high speed game and is a tenacious forechecker. He has decent speed and a solid shot and can play either wing position. One knock against him is his relatively short stature which limits his ability to go up against some of the bigger NHL defensemen. Standing at 5?8?, Bourque has a disadvantage that is extremely difficult to overcome at the NHL level. In stints with the Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins he has 1 goal, 3 assists, and a minus 6 in 33 NHL games. While those numbers are not to extraordinary; his numbers in the AHL are actually pretty staggering. In 398 AHL games, Bourque has 132 goals, 263 assists, and a plus 50. He has also won a Calder Cup Memorial trophy with Washington?s AHL affiliate Hershey Bears and was named the Playoff MVP.
Hamill never really panned out for the Boston Bruins after they drafted him 8th overall in 2007. At the time the pick was considered a reach and the entire?fan-base?and organization can now understand why. After a solid WHL career Hamill was selected by Boston with the?aspirations?that he would be a solid two way center with decent offensive upside. Hamill joined the Providence Bruins and never really improved his level of play over the next three to four seasons. In brief stints with the big club Hamill managed no goals, 4 assists, and a plus 3 in 20 NHL games. I myself believed that he may turn out to be a solid contributor for the Bruins after a solid showing in his first call up earlier in the season, however as he played more games; his failure to improve or raise his level of play became apparent. When the Bruins?organized?their ?black aces? for this years playoffs run; Hamill was left out of it. It is clear that he needed a fresh change of pace and I believe he will get that in Washington.
Bourque helps the Bruins? winger depth as they are?surprisingly?stocked with center depth top to bottom throughout the organization. Bourque will become a UFA on July 1st and whether or not the Bruins sign him is still up in the air. I believe they will as perhaps being in home town will ignite his potential and give him the chance to still be a solid NHLer albeit in a smaller capacity. If signed Bourque will likely get his start in Providence and will have to work his way up from there, The Providence Bruins have been abysmal over the last few seasons and the addition of Chris Bourque and the arrivals of highly touted prospects Jared knight and Ryan Spooner should give the baby B?s fans something to cheer about in the upcoming season. You can follow me on twitter here @mattjacob64
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