Like many teams around the NHL, the New Jersey Devils have had a busy start to July. They notably brought in Connor Brown and Evgenii Dadonov through free agency to improve their forward depth. However, they also quietly made a trade.

On July 2, the Devils acquired forward Thomas Bordeleau from the San Jose Sharks in exchange for Shane Bowers. While this is a small trade, fans should be keeping an eye on Bordeleau next season.

Not too long ago, Bordeleau was considered one of the Sharks' most promising prospects. While his stock dropped in recent years, a change of scenery could be exactly what helps the 2020 second-round pick get things back on track.

Bordeleau also showed promise at the NHL level with the Sharks during the 2023-24 season. In 27 games with the Pacific Division club, he recorded six goals and 11 points. While these are not jaw-dropping numbers, they do demonstrate that he has the potential to provide decent depth offensive production if given the chance to play at the NHL level. He also had five assists in eight games for the Sharks in 2021-22.

With Bordeleau being just 23 years old, there is still time for him to take another step forward and prove that he can be a full-time NHL player. He has skill, so there is no real harm in the Devils taking a shot on him, especially when noting that they only gave up an AHLer in Bowers to get him.

It is going to be very interesting to see how much of an impact Bordeleau can make for the Devils. from here. At a minimum, he should be a good addition to the Utica Comets' roster, but the possibility of him making the jump to New Jersey's roster should not be ruled out.

Devils Made Great Move Signing Former Oilers Forward One of the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-jersey-devils">New Jersey Devils</a>' top objectives this off-season was to improve their forward depth. They have done just that early on this summer, as they have brought in a few new forwards. This includes former Edmonton Oilers winger Connor Brown.  

New Devils Forward Can't Be Slept On