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Rene Bourque arrived in Anaheim under the most positive of circumstances - the Ducks finally traded defensive pylon Bryan Allen to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for him on November 10, 2014. Bourque arrived in Anaheim with a reputation as a streaky scorer: though he lead the Canadiens' 2014 postseason scoring (eight goals in 17 games), he had failed to make much of an impact in the club during the fall of 2014. However, General Manager Bob Murray decided to take a chance on Bourque because of his size (Bob sure does love a big man) and playoff performance.
Season Impact
Bourque was acquired during the Mumps Epidemic of 2014 in November, but would not score his first goal until roughly two months later. The goal occurred during a first period power play opportunity against the Winnipeg Jets on December 7, 2014. Ryan Getzlaf - of course - set up the goal by passing it to Patrick Maroon, who passed it to Bourque for the score. It would also be the first goal of the game.
Bourque ultimately played 30 games with the Ducks, but only scored two goals, six assists, and was a -4. Despite his work with the Twins - like Maroon and others before him - Bourque failed to produce. He would also spend time on the second line, centered by Ryan Kesler, and played various roles in the bottom six. Basically, he was a victim of the Bruce Boudreau Line Generator, and his own inability to recapture the Montreal playoff magic.
2014-15 Stats
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Ducks Impact
None, unfortunately. After failing to produce much of a dent on the scoreboard, Bourque would experience his second trade of the season after clearing waivers just a few months later. In remarks published in the LA Times Bourque argued that it was hard for him to be productive when he was placed in and out of the lineup.
The winger was traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets (along with William Karlsson and a second round pick) in exchange for defenseman (and reclamation project) James Wisniewski. By March 2, 2015, he found himself playing for the Blue Jackets' AHL affiliate, the Springfield Falcons.