The New Jersey Devils got one of their last free agents signed on Thursday. Unfortunately, it wasn’t restricted free agent Luke Hughes, but it was recently acquired Thomas Bordeleau. The Devils traded former AHL center Shane Bowers to the San Jose Sharks for Bordeleau.
It was an interesting risk. Bowers didn’t have much value to the Devils, who they traded former defenseman prospect Reilly Walsh for. Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald keeps churning these prospects into prospects he’s hoping fit better into what the Devils want and need. It’s not hard to see why Fitzgerald made this trade.
During the 2020 NHL Draft, Bordeleau was a player who could work his way into the first round, but his size pushed him to the Sharks with the 38th-overall pick. Standing at just 5’9 at the time of the draft, most teams probably had him off their board.
However, Bordeleau has incredible speed. At least, we think he does. It’s what had the Sharks drafting him in the first place. Ironically, the Sharks to Bordeleau after trading back in the draft, and their original pick ended up being J.J. Peterka. We definitely think they would have rather had the return the Buffalo Sabres got for Peterka over what they got for Bordeleau. We digress.
Thomas Bordeleau re-signs with New Jersey Devils
Bordeleau is a decent bet for Fitzgerald, who was desperately trying to find centers to add to his team’s depth. After the trade, he signed a one-year, two-way deal with the Devils on Thursday, paying him $775,000 at the NHL level and $100,000 at the AHL level with $125,000 guaranteed. Bordeleau can play center even at his size. He didn’t have a great year, putting up just 38 points for the San Jose Barracuda of the AHL. That’s fifth on his team.
Fitzgerald is clearly betting on his speed. One problem: that speed has never translated to the NHL. The impact many thought he’d had during draft season just never turned into anything. What is the reason for his lack of skills that made him a high second-round pick? Is this something Sheldon Keefe can unlock?
Bordeleau won’t be considered one of the top options to make the team. He’s competing with Arseni Gritsyuk, Lenni Hameenaho, Juho Lammikko, Shane Lachance, Kurtis MacDermid, and Brian Halonen for the final spots on the roster. Based on what we’ve already seen, he’s probably an AHL player. However, if he proves that he can play well against NHL competition, then the Devils might consider keeping him for center depth.