Devils re-sign Shane Bowers to two-year contract

The New Jersey Devils have locked up some organizational forward depth for the next couple of seasons.

On Tuesday, the team announced it has re-signed forward Shane Bowers to a two-year, two-way contract starting next season, with an AAV of $775,000.

This is Bowers’ first multi-year contract since he signed his entry-level deal with the Colorado Avalanche in 2019.

Bowers is coming off his first year with the organization, in which he signed a one-year, two-way deal with the Devils last June days after being acquired from the Boston Bruins. The former first-round pick played just eight games in the NHL this season, not registering a point. He spent most of the 2023-24 campaign with New Jersey’s American Hockey League affiliate, the Utica Comets, scoring 10 goals and 14 points in 43 games.

The Halifax, Nova Scotia native has played just nine games in the NHL, making his debut with the Avalanche on Nov. 10, 2022. In 217 AHL appearances, Bowers has scored 41 goals and 39 assists, including five points in 11 Calder Cup Playoff games.

Bowers was originally drafted by the Senators in 2017, but was sent to Colorado in the trade that saw Kyle Turris, Andrew Hammond and two picks head to Denver for Matt Duchene a few months later. The Avalanche traded Bowers to Boston for Keith Kinkaid in February 2023.

The former Boston University product has represented his country a couple of times throughout his career, playing for Team Canada at the 2019 IIHF World Junior Championship and 2015 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge.

With the signing, the Devils have 27 standard player contracts signed through next season. According to CapFriendly, New Jersey is projected to have just under $20 million in cap space for the 2024-25 campaign.