Penguins Claim Bourque; Lose Bissonnette

The Penguins lost winger Paul Bissonnette yesterday when he was claimed on waivers by the Phoenix Coyotes.

Making a claim of their own, the Penguins poached the Washington Capitals organization and added winger Chris Bourque to their club.

There had been some concern that Bissonnette -- and others -- may not make it through waivers, and unfortunately, that was the case.

Personally, I thought that Bissonnette may be a candidate to take Eric Godard's job this year. He is capable of bringing a little more to the ice than big #28 did. In fact, I believe Pens' GM Ray Shero has had discussions with several clubs about trading Godard. Obviously, he didn't find any takers in enough time to keep Bissonnette around in his place.

Bissonnette had developed himself into a fair prospect the last several years after falling out of favor with the organization and seeing his stock plummet so far that he was shipped all the way to Wheeling of the East Coast League 2 seasons ago.

But to Bissonnette's credit, he worked to make himself a better, more responsible hockey player, who came back up through the Penguins' system and really came last year and this year to be a fringe regular in the NHL. The fact that the Penguins kept him on their roster out of training camp last year said a lot about how far Bissonnette had come. In that sense, it's a shame to lose him.

If he isn't able to stick regularly in Phoenix, I wouldn't be at all surprised if the Penguins claimed Bissonnette right back at some point.

Meanwhile, the player the Penguins' added, Chris Bourque -- son of one of the greatest defensemen in NHL history, former Boston Bruins blueliner and Hall of Famer Ray Bourque -- brings an entirely different package than Bissonnette (or his father, for that matter) to the table.

Bourque is a small, speedy, skilled LW who was the Capitals' 2nd round pick in the 2004 entry draft. He had a few brief call-ups during his tenure with Washington, including 1 goal in 12 games last year, but hasn't been able to stick permanently. He has, however, put up good numbers at the AHL level, including 73 points in the regular season last year, and 21 points in 22 games during Hershey's run to the Calder Cup Championship last post-season.

The Penguins' like his versatility as a forward with some offensive potential, who may be a candidate to play on the 3rd or 4th line and, perhaps even in some circumstances, get a chance to skate in a scoring role as a fill-in on one of the top 2 lines with #87 or #71. He's someone who should fit well in the Penguins' system.

Bourque will stick with the team for now as a 13th forward. And the team may just look at him as an opportunity to trade Pascal Dupuis and his 1.4 million dollar salary. Just like there have been rumors the Penguins have been shopping Godard, there has been talk Dupuis is just as much on the block --- and could even be packaged together with Godard to the right team.

More tomorrow on opening night, when I'll share some thoughts of other national writers as to how things look for the defending Stanley Cup Champions this season.

I can't wait to see that banner go up.

Let's Go Pens.