What Bruins Fans Can Expect From Defenseman Will Borgen

The Boston Bruins shored up their right side this offseason by signing defenseman Will Borgen. While not a blockbuster signing, he adds some muscle to the defense aside from Nikita Zadorov and should give the team a bit of depth at the bottom of their lineup.

The Bruins’ defensive structure had a questionable foundation, with Andrew Peeke playing in the top four. Peeke’s tenure as a Bruin was tarnished by less-than-desirable play.

In 168 games as a Bruin, Peeke recorded 33 points and played in only 12 postseason games, adding just one point. He wasn’t afraid to play physical, and added 254 hits and 292 blocks.

He wasn’t afraid to sacrifice his body to block shots, but he wasn’t much help when it came to puck possession; in his last season with the Bruins, he had a 47.4 Corsi For percentage (CF%) and holds a career 45.7 CF%.

A spot in the defensive corps opened for a right-handed defenseman after Peeke walked in free agency. With this spot open, general manager Don Sweeney traded a 2027 second-round pick and a 2028 third-round pick to the New York Rangers for Borgen.

Nicknamed ‘Belligerent Bill”, you can expect him to bring a heavy game to the ice every night.

What Can Borgen Bring to the Bruins?

“Will’s got length,” said Sweeney. “He skates well. He competes. He closes in the D-zone.”- (From ‘Are Will Borgen and Connor Clifton Enough? Why more moves could come for Bruins’- The Athletic, 07/02/2025, Fluto Shinzawa)

Borgen ended his tenure in New York having played 126 games and recording 28 points with a plus-12 rating. Borgen’s partners varied from K’Andre Miller, prospect Matthew Robertson, and Carson Soucy at different points in the season.

Last season with the Rangers, in 75 games, he added 15 points, 99 blocks and 111 hits. He had a career-high 203 hits with the Seattle Kraken in 2022-23.

He is a right-handed defenseman who plays a physical game, but his offensive upside needs to be recognized. After Jan. 26 last season, he recorded 11 points in 23 games.

Per Blueshirt Banter, head coach Mike Sullivan smartly deployed Borgen in a limited, defense-first role, playing an average time on ice of 18:03. He also averaged 2:13 per night on the penalty kill.

With Borgen’s role as a mainstay on the blue line, and his decent skating ability, the Rangers needed him to contribute a bit more offense from the back end. While he hadn’t ever demonstrated notable offensive abilities at the NHL level, his deployment was largely geared towards defense (30 percent offensive zone starts during his time in New York in 2024-25).

To paint a clearer picture for fans: Borgen isn’t a player who should be counted on for regular offense. Bruins fans should expect no more than a third-pairing defenseman used no higher than the second pairing.

Will Borgen Is a Third-Pairing Defenseman and Nothing More

The Bruins will need Borgen to play as well or better than he did in New York if he’s to help push the Bruins into the playoffs this season. Making $4.1 million per year, he’ll need to find chemistry alongside another veteran in the lineup, whether it’s Charlie McAvoy or Hampus Lindholm to his left.

If the Bruins are to win this trade considering they’re on the hook for the next $16.4 million of his contract, they’ll need him to continue to play a responsible defensive game, giving goaltenders Jeremy Swayman and Michael DiPietro a chance to breathe every night.