The Devils announced Thursday they’ve signed restricted free agent forward Thomas Bordeleau to a two-way deal, which carries a $775K NHL salary and a $100K AHL salary with a $125K guarantee.
New Jersey acquired the rights to the 23-year-old earlier this month from the Sharks, sending depth center Shane Bowers the other way. A 2020 second-round pick, Bordeleau was once one of San Jose’s more promising prospects with a strong body of work over his two seasons at the University of Michigan. However, his development in the minors never took off, while others in the Sharks’ deep pool of young players surpassed him.
Last season was especially trying for the Houston native. He still put up a 14-24–38 scoring line in 59 games for the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda, but that 0.64 points per game pace was a step back from last year’s, and he only received a one-game NHL call-up after recording 11 points in 27 games for the Sharks in 2023-24.
There’s more of an opening for a young depth center in New Jersey than there was in San Jose, especially with Erik Haula and Curtis Lazar leaving the organization this offseason and no meaningful additions down the middle outside of overseas signing Juho Lammikko. If he can rediscover that previous NHL form he showed in short bursts with the Sharks, there’s an opening – albeit a slim one – for Bordeleau to make the team out of camp.
While undersized, his game has historically been more effective down the middle. If he doesn’t crack the roster, he’ll need to clear waivers to head to AHL Utica – something he’s never had to do before.
With Bordeleau signed, the Devils have 47 of their 50 contract slots filled for 2025-26. The only other unsigned RFA in the organization is star defenseman Luke Hughes, who remains without a deal as New Jersey has $6.9MM in cap space, per PuckPedia.
This is a good move for NJD. Now they just need a 3c… like… Mikey McLeod!