Sharks Trade Bordeleau to Devils

The Thomas Bordeleau hype train has been derailed.

The once ballyhooed prospect, the San Jose Sharks’ second-round pick in 2020, has been traded to the New Jersey Devils for Shane Bowers.

Bowers, 25, is a 2017 Ottawa Senators’ first-round pick who has shuttled between the NHL and AHL over the last three seasons. He’s played 14 NHL games with the Colorado Avalanche and New Jersey Devils in that time, along with a career 282 AHL appearances with the Colorado Eagles, Providence Bruins, and Utica Comets.

For the San Jose Sharks organization, Bowers probably slides in as a solid checking-line center for the Barracuda, who can give you NHL games in a pinch. The 6-foot-2 pivot is signed for another year at the league minimum.

For Bordeleau, the Devils organization should be a much-desired fresh start. A proven AHL scorer, the 5-foot-10 center-winger has never found traction in the NHL, totaling six goals and 18 points in 44 contests over parts of four seasons. Just 23, he’s got more upside than Bowers.

The RFA’s challenge: Does he have enough all-around game to be a top-nine forward in the NHL?