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Former BU Player Bowers Traded To Boston Bruins

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The Boston Bruins continued to shore up their organizational forward depth ahead of the NHL trade deadline by trading for Colorado Avalanche forward Shane Bowers.

It isn’t going to shake the Boston Bruins organization down to its very foundation like the blockbuster deal with the Washington Capitals for Dmitry Orlov and Garnet Hathaway, but it could end up paying dividends for the Black and Gold.

The 23-year-old Bowers is a former first round pick and former Boston University Terrier that played a couple of years in Hockey East, including with current NHLers Brady Tkachuk and Jake Oettinger, before turning pro and signing with the Avalanche. The Boston Bruins sent veteran goaltender Keith Kinkaid the other way to the Avs in exchange for Bowers, which lightens a crowded goalie situation at Providence where Brandon Bussi and Kyle Keyser.

The interesting part of dealing Kinkaid, however, is that it leaves the Boston Bruins without a third goalie with solid NHL experience if injuries do hit Linus Ullmark and/or Jeremy Swayman in the final few months of the regular season or the postseason.

The 6-foot-2, 186-pound Bowers has never posted more than 10 goals or 27 points in five AHL seasons while never playing a full season’s worth of games, and has played just one NHL game for the Avalanche, which happened earlier this season. He actually hurt himself in the third shift of his NHL debut earlier this season back in November after getting the rookie solo lap honors at the beginning of the home game in Denver.

Bowers was originally a first round pick of the Ottawa Senators and was part of the package sent to Colorado during the three-team trade involving Matt Duchene and Kyle Turris back in the 2017-18 NHL season.

Bowers has four goals and 14 points in 37 games for the Colorado Eagles this season, and does add another Nova Scotian to the Boston Bruins organization along with Brad Marchand.

Certainly, Bowers has yet to live up to his first round potential since joining the professional hockey ranks, but he’s a young center that could still have some upside and gives the Bruins some additional center depth headed down the stretch run.

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