The Montreal Canadiens quiet offseason continues as they appear set to go in to the 2023-24 season with a roster that looks quite similar to the one we saw last season.
Allowing the rebuild to continue for one more season will give them time to shred a few more contracts, allow time for young players to develop in a less stressful atmosphere and open up plenty of cap space following the season.
That all makes sense during a rebuild, so the Canadiens have been very quiet in free agency. Their AHL affiliate, the Laval Rocket have been much busier. They have already locked up a few scoring threats for next season like Phillip Maillet, and Lias Andersson and have re-signed a veteran presence for the lineup next season.
Gabriel Bourque signed a one-year and one-way AHL contract with the Rocket for the 2023-24 season. The 32 year old winger played the past two seasons with the Rocket, scoring 14 goals and 31 points in 66 games last season. He had 11 goals and 28 points in 67 games the previous season.
He finished the season serving as the team’s captain and is likely to take on that role again next season. With Alex Belzile signing with the New York Rangers last week, Bourque’s leadership and veteran presence will take on heightened importance next season.
Bourque, a native of Rimouski, Quebec has played 413 NHL games in his career, scoring 40 goals and 103 points. After missing the 2020-21 season as he took some time off during the pandemic instead of sitting on a team’s taxi squad for the year, he has played on AHL-only deals with the Rocket near his hometown.
His experience, leadership and two-way ability will once again help the Rocket as he suits up in a bottom six role, kills penalties and puts about a dozen pucks in the net next season.
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