New York Rangers’ 2025-26 Report Cards: Will Borgen

The New York Rangers entered this season with an excellent top defense pair of Adam Fox and Vladislav Gavrikov, but it was unclear which other defensemen they could rely on. Will Borgen is signed to a long-term contract, and after playing at a high level for the second half of last season, he did not play quite as well this season.

Performance in 2025-26

Last season, the Rangers acquired Borgen in the trade that sent Kaapo Kakko to the Seattle Kraken. Though he struggled early in the season with Seattle, he played better after the trade and provided steady defensive play on New York’s second defense pair, playing alongside K’Andre Miller. He had four goals and nine assists in 51 games after the trade.

Last offseason, the Rangers traded Miller to the Carolina Hurricanes, and Borgen played with a few different defense partners this season. Early this season, he played on a pair with Carson Soucy, and while both were physical and helped clear the front of the crease, neither provided much offense. Both also dealt with injuries and missed a few games.

Borgen is 6-foot-3 and 199 pounds, and he used his size and reach to his advantage in the defensive zone. He also played a key role on the penalty kill and did a nice job when the Rangers were shorthanded. At even strength, he did not look to create offensively early in the season and opted to make safe decisions with the puck.

Though the Rangers went through a lot of changes on defense, including trading Soucy and dealing with two injuries that resulted in Fox landing on long-term injured reserve, Borgen was consistent. He played with physicality, helped kill penalties, and defended well.

Later in the season, Borgen showed more confidence in the offensive zone. He had three goals and eight assists in a 23-game span, which started when he scored a goal in a 4-3 win over the Boston Bruins on Jan. 26. He finished the season with five goals, 10 assists, 99 blocked shots, and 111 hits in 75 games while averaging 18:03 in ice time per game.

Searching for a Strong Second Defense Pair

When Fox was healthy, he and Gavrikov played at a very high level and were able to generate offense, while also defending well against opposing teams’ top lines. However, when Fox was out, the team struggled both offensively and defensively, and they fell out of the playoff race.

As the season went on, Borgen began to get more ice time paired with rookie defenseman Matthew Robertson. They both used their size and reach to their advantage, and they both got more confident and started to generate more scoring chances. During the second half of the season, they played very well together, and the team also began to play better and win more games.

The Rangers have a great first defense pair, but they need Fox to stay healthy next season. They also need to find two other reliable pairs, and their strong play late in the season was encouraging. Borgen is heading into the second year of a five-year, $20.5 million contract, and the hope is that he will provide them with strong defensive play for his entire contract.

Overall Grade

Borgen played his best after the Olympic break, and he earned a B- for his overall play this season. Though the hope was he would produce a little more offensively than he did in the first few months, he made smart, safe plays with the puck and limited defensive mistakes. It would be a big boost for the Rangers if he can play the way he did late in the season for all of the 2026-27 season.