The Bruins will have a familiar name skating around in the coming weeks, giving fans a trip down memory lane — a trip with a nice scoring touch, perhaps.
That’s because Chris Bourque — son of Bruins legend Ray Bourque — will be in B’s camp in a few days, hoping to crack the NHL roster in a city where his father became one of the greatest defensemen in league history.
It’s beginning to look like there may be a job out there to be won by the younger Bourque, too. The B’s are all but set when it comes to forwards, but there appears to be one glaring opening.
The top two lines are likely set, as is the fourth line. But on the third line, alongside Chris Kelly at center and Rich Peverley on the wing, is a winger vacancy.
Adding to Bourque’s chances is the fact that Jordan Caron, who has some NHL experience with the Bruins, recently went down with an injury. It’s still unclear how long Caron will be out, but for now, there appears to be a chance Bourque could make the club out of camp.
The lockout may have actually been a blessing in surprise for Bourque, who has spent the entire season in the AHL playing with Providence. Through 32 games Bourque leads the Baby B’s in points, with 8-20-28 totals. He has also added three power play goals.
Success in the AHL is nothing new for Bourque. He’s posted at least 58 points in five of his seasons there, finding a bunch of success in the Washington organization with the Hershey Bears. He totaled 93 points in just 73 games last season. However, Bourque has failed to put everything together upon getting a chance at the top level. In 33 NHL games, he has just a goal and three assists.
But he should get another chance to at least compete for a big league job starting as early as this weekend when NHL camps are expected to open. It may not be easy, though, as the Bruins do have some young forwards who may give Bourque a run for his money, and it’s always possible that the club makes some sort of move before the season opens.
