HABS DEAL BOURQUE TO ANAHEIM FOR ALLEN
The Montreal Canadiens acquired defenseman Bryan Allen from the Anaheim Ducks for winger Rene Bourque.
What does it give the Montreal Canadiens
The Habs wanted to get rid of Bourque for some time now, and they were finally able to find a taker here. In Allen, the Habs land yet another veteran blueliner (on the heels of acquiring {P Sergei Gonchar}, which doesn't bode well for their top two blueline prospects: {P Nathan Beaulieu} and {P Jared Tinordi}. Bourque was already sent down to the AHL, so losing him won't impact the lineup. Allen should provide some stability on the third defense pairing.
What does it give the Anaheim Ducks
The Ducks are taking a chance on Bourque here, especially since he has another season left on his contract beyond 2014-15. Allen was largely expendable because of the arrival of {P Clayton Stoner} in the off-season, not to mention the solid play of rookie {P Josh Manson} so far this season. As for Bourque, he might get a shot with the big club fairly soon and may be this year's version of {P Dustin Penner}--another reclamation project that Anaheim added last year.
Fantasy impact
Bourque is the only player with fantasy value involved in this swap, and even that is a stretch. He was an absolute stud throughout the postseason last spring but can simply not be trusted over the course of 82 games. Still, he's a dark horse (especially if he gets a chance to play with {P Ryan Getzlaf} and {P Corey Perry} at some point in '14-15). The Allen arrival is very bad news for Beaulieu, whose value is now limited to keeper leagues.
