Quote:
Originally Posted by optimus2861
There were links posted back at the time we acquired Bourque about his play in Calgary - he was going into the tank then (just glance at the +/- .. three straight declines). Flames were happy to be rid of him. For his size, the guy is soft, soft, soft. Takes a lot of shifts off. He's not a guy we'll win with.
I'll eat my crow if he proves me wrong, but that's my take on the guy.
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That has always been the take, and he's not at an age where you can expect change. It's just his personality. I don't knock him for it, don't get me wrong, I'm probably the same way (in a relative, non-pro-athlete sense), but for your competitive hockey team you probably want something different, a little more gung-ho.
But still, *if* he can get 20+ goals, we're basically beggars and can probably live with the softness/inconsistency issues, etc. He's nobody's ideal player, but 20 goals don't grow on trees in the NHL anymore, and until we have guys who show they're capable of unseating him, it might end up being worth the compromise to keep him around.
Flip side, *if* he can't even provide the scoring, then he's scrap heap material for sure. Last half-season with us, for example. He's got this half-season now to redeem himself.
It all still comes down to the games. Let's play them and see. I just hope we get full views of the candidates like Bourque and Kaberle, no injury issues or mediocre-near-passable showings or other things that somehow muddy the waters and make it a difficult call. The way those guys played for us last year, it wouldn't be a difficult decision at all to drop either one.