Sheng Peng
LAS VEGAS – Whoa, Thomas Bordeleau!
The top San Jose Sharks prospect flashed his impressive skill in Saturday’s Rookie Faceoff tilt against the Vegas Golden Knights, scoring a goal on his butt and another off a tough angle.
I don’t know if I’ve ever seen this:
On the seat of his pants, Bordeleau (17) basically one-handed an incoming Jake Furlong (61) point shot past Jordan Papirny.
It was no accident.
That’s spectacular hand-eye coordination.
Bordeleau followed that by forklifting a bad-angle far side shot over Papirny’s shoulder.
After two periods, the San Jose Sharks have been rolling at Dollar Loan Center, enjoying a 3-0 lead. Kasper Halttunen has the other goal.
Bordeleau, a 2020 San Jose Sharks second-round pick, is at a contract crossroads.
He will be a 10.2(c) player after this year, which means that he hasn’t accrued enough pro seasons to be an RFA and receive an offer sheet but is still subject to a qualifying offer from San Jose. The Sharks are the only team that can negotiate with Bordeleau, unless they neglect to qualify him by Jun. 25. He’ll be a UFA in that case.
Bordeleau was an AHL All-Star last year in his first full pro campaign. However, there are questions about his defensive commitment.