There was no shortage of haters and doubters when Will Borgen signed a contract with the Boston Bruins at the start of free agency. While some fans wanted the Bruins to either make a big swing or trust their young players to start stealing spots, Borgen felt like another move reminiscent of the signings that Don Sweeney made last offseason to add a bunch of depth forwards to the mix.
The 29-year-old right-shot defenseman may not jump off the page as a big add, but he might just be the type of player that comes to Boston and becomes a fan favorite. He is a bit more agile and a bit more offensive than the player he is replacing, Andrew Peeke, but he could also be a more physical version, as that part of Peeke's game started to tail off towards the end of his tenure.
Fans need to remember that Borgen may not be a name they know well, but he was also a depth defenseman on the New York Rangers for the last two seasons. The Rangers struggled over that span, but Borgen really was one of their bright spots, both analytically and from the most basic of numbers.
The right-shot defenseman played 126 games with the Rangers, with the majority of those games ending in losses. However, the defender miraculously ended with a plus-12 rating. While the plus/minus statistic can be a bit overblown, his advanced numbers were all positive defensively, and by all accounts, things could've been much worse for the Rangers without him.
What can Will Borgen do for the Boston Bruins?
If Borgen brings that same effect to the Bruins, their defense should improve after some of their struggles in that area last season. It was very ugly at times for Boston, especially in the playoffs, and a defensive defenseman who can look that good on a bad Rangers team should fit in nicely on the second pair to complement Charlie McAvoy.
Borgen will earn his keep right out of the gate for the Bruins, as he'll play an elevated role while McAvoy serves the suspension from his incident with Zach Benson in the playoffs. Before fans jump on Borgen too early, we'll all have to remember that he won't be playing top-pair minutes as long as McAvoy is in the lineup, but if he can keep his head above water in that role, he'll at least be a very good depth defenseman in Boston.
Add us as a preferred source on Google