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2024 player review Thomas Bordeleau: Power play specialist

Sep 24, 2023; San Jose, California, USA; San Jose Sharks center Thomas Bordeleau (17) shoots the puck during the second period against the Vegas Golden Knights at SAP Center at San Jose. Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports

This was supposed to be the season for Thomas Bordeleau. After two small cups of coffee in the NHL in 2022 and 2023, the young forward was supposed to take a step forward and secure his spot in the San Jose Sharks lineup. Sadly, that didn’t happen right away.

Bordeleau made the team out of training camp and it looked like he would show some growth in a lost season. However, his play stagnated quickly on a defensively broken team that seemed to lack structure and chemistry. By Oct. 27, he was back in the AHL, honing his skills with the San Jose Barracuda once again.

But he worked hard and he improved his game in the AHL. He took what then Head Coach David Quinn said to heart. When Bordeleau returned in March, his game had improved. He worked on taking more defensive responsibility, and it showed.

Bordeleau’s 2023-24 production

While this post will focus on Bordeleau’s work with the Sharks, it’s still important to examine his work with the San Jose Barracuda.

Games PlayedGAPts+/-TOI/G
27 (SJS)6511-1815:01
35 (Barracuda)111425-6
Stats courtesy of NHL.com and AHL.com.

He was impactful with the Barracuda. His 25 points in 35 games was a slightly better points per game pace than last season when he had 41 points in 65 games. He also increased his defensive responsibility while with the Barracuda, better shaping his game for play in the NHL.

When he was called back up to the Sharks, Bordeleau played most often on the third line. He often lined up alongside Nico Sturm at center and more often than not, Justin Bailey was on the other side. In addition to receiving third-line minutes, Bordeleau received minutes with the first power play unit this season.

Bordeleau used extensively on the power play

It was Bordeleau’s play on the power play that should get the most attention.

Bordeleau played 405:39 minutes of ice time this season, and nearly 20% of that time was spent on the power play. As you can see from the Evolving-Hockey RAPM chart, Bordeleau was most impactful for the Sharks on the man advantage, where he helped create scoring opportunities.

It was that production on the power play that helped elevate Bordeleau’s stats.

According to Natural Stat Trick, Bordeleau was tops on the team in shots for percentage among players who played 400 minutes or more this season. When Bordeleau was skating, 50.62% of the shots on the ice were by the Sharks. He is the only player on the Sharks with 400 minutes or more of ice time this season that had a positive shots differential.

Going to the dangerous areas of the ice

One of the reasons that Bordeleau was so successful when he was called back to the Sharks from the Barracuda was his willingness to go to the dirty areas of the ice. Particularly on the power play, Bordeleau would park himself in front of the net, preparing himself for a screen or a deflection.

In the March 23 game against the Chicago Blackhawks, it was that willingness to skate right to the spot in front of the goaltender that yielded a power play goal.

And, when the deflection opportunity was not there, Bordeleau was sneaky. He was able to read the play well enough that he could melt back into a soft area of the ice without being noticed. You can see him do that on this March 9 goal against the Ottawa Senators.

In fact, when you look at Evolving-Hockey’s skater shot chart in all situations, you can see that many of Bordeleau’s scoring opportunities this season came from that area of the ice right in front of the goalie’s crease.

I’m not saying that Bordeleau is Joe Pavelski, but there are moments when he is Pavelski-esque. If Bordeleau continues to work on the way he deflects the puck this offseason, he could become a lethal force on the power play.

Bordeleau’s future with the Sharks

Bordeleau is a restricted free agent. CapFriendly reports that because Bordeleau has not played enough games in the NHL yet, he’s not eligible for an offer sheet, which is good news for the Sharks. His last contract lasted three years and had a cap hit of $916,667 per season.

Bordeleau will be due a raise with his new contract, but considering he has fewer than 50 NHL games under his belt and currently has 18 career NHL points, including six goals, it won’t be a huge one.

Given the latest additions to the Sharks’ prospect pool, Bordeleau is dropping down the depth chart. In three to four years, when the Sharks are hopefully contending once again, he’ll be a great third-liner who contributes to a lethal second power-play unit.

Editor’s Note: Over the next few weeks, we will be rolling out the player reviews for the San Jose Sharks. We realize there were a lot of guys rotating into and out of the lineup and some of the key depth players were traded. As a result, Fear the Fin plans to focus on the players who are 1) still with the Sharks and 2) played 20 or more games for San Jose this season.

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