Rangers Need Will Borgen to Prove 2024-25 Was Not a Fluke

The New York Rangers made big changes on defense this offseason as they signed Vladislav Gavrikov to a seven-season contract and traded K’Andre Miller to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for Scott Morrow and multiple draft picks. Last season, the team struggled defensively, but a bright spot for them was defenseman Will Borgen‘s strong play after they acquired him in a midseason trade. Despite the changes this offseason, they will be relying heavily on him again, and they need him to prove that his impressive play was not a fluke.

Borgen’s Play Last Season

After beginning his career with the Buffalo Sabres, Borgen had success with the Seattle Kraken though he spent the majority of his stint with them on their third pair. He also proved to be durable as he finished with three goals and 17 assists in 82 games in 2022-23 and three goals and 22 assists in 2023-24.

Last season, Borgen made some uncharacteristic defensive mistakes early in the season and did not produce offensively as he was held to one goal and one assist in 33 games, and he was minus-13, the worst on the team at the time. His playing time dropped from 17:05 per game in 2023-24 to 15:12 per game last season. In the midst of his struggles, he was traded to the Rangers in exchange for Kaapo Kakko.

Following the trade, Borgen played a bigger role on the Rangers as they opted to play him on their second pair alongside Miller. With New York, he was steady defensively and generally made smart, safe plays with the puck; he also played with physicality to help clear the front of the crease, did not get caught out of position often, and did a nice job on the penalty kill.

As the season went on, he looked more comfortable joining the rush and was able to chip in offensively. He scored a goal on a quick wrist shot in a 6-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Jan. 5, and he scored a shorthanded goal on another nice wrist shot in a 4-0 win over the New York Islanders on March 3. He finished with four goals, nine assists, and a plus-9 rating in 51 games with his new team and averaged 18:18 in ice time per game.