The San Jose Sharks are dealing with some unfortunate news on the injury front as Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now reports forward Thomas Bordeleau is out week-to-week with a lower-body injury. A few moments after the initial report Max Miller of The Hockey News shared that “it’ll be close” for Bordeleau to start the regular season on time.
It’s an unlucky occurrence for Bordeleau who was looking to register his first full season in the NHL this year with the Sharks. Bordeleau joined the organization as the 38th overall pick of the 2020 NHL Draft but has primarily suited up for their AHL affiliate, the San Jose Barracuda.
Bordeleau got off to a strong start with the Sharks after signing with the team at the end of his sophomore campaign at the University of Michigan in 2022. The youngster had five assists in eight games down the stretch with another three assists in two contests for the Barracuda. San Jose granted Bordeleau more playing time in the AHL for the 2022-23 regular season and he impressed with 22 goals and 41 points in 65 games as a 21-year-old.
His scoring pace increased in the AHL last year with 11 goals and 25 points in 35 games but his time with the Sharks wasn’t as lucrative on the scoresheet. Bordeleau scored six goals and 11 points in 27 games in San Jose while averaging just over 15 minutes of ice time per night. His -18 rating sat 11th on the team amongst forwards in limited action but his advanced metrics paint a much better picture.
He carried an E+/- of -5.3 throughout the regular season ranking fifth on the team for skaters with more than 20 games played according to Hockey Reference. His CorsiFor% of 48.3% also ranked towards the top of the roster which indicates Bordeleau could be an effective middle-six presence on a more competent roster.
The team will reassess Bordeleau in the upcoming weeks to determine if he can play in the opening night roster. He should still be an effective presence in San Jose’s middle- or bottom-six for most of this year with the bonus of having some extra scoring punch.