In yet another move on a busy day, Ranger GM Chris Drury has traded defenseman Will Borgen to the Boston Bruins in exchange for a 2027 2nd round pick and a conditional 2028 3rd round pick. With the additions of Sean Durzi and Marcus Pettersson earlier in the day, the Rangers had too many defensemen, and this allowed them to free up some space and perhaps cement Braden Schneider’s return to the line-up for next season.
Originally acquired from the Seattle Kraken as part of the deal that sent them former 2nd overall pick Kaapo Kakko two seasons ago, Borgen proved to be a little inconsistent as a second pair defender, contributing to team-wide struggles getting the puck up ice and out of their own end. It wasn’t all bad with Borgen, though he was probably most successful when he was largely unnoticed.
For much of the off-season it was expected that Schneider would be the one who would be on the move, but with this trade it gives Drury more time to assess whether they get him back on track, as well as the chance to give Scott Morrow and Vincent Iorio some time in Hartford (assuming neither get claimed on waivers).