Keep on Borg-en!!

Though this Rangers’ season has been a whirlwind, the 2025 calendar year has been nothing short of spectacular. Since January 2nd, they have led the NHL in points and goals scored while sporting an 8–1–3 record. Everything appears to be clicking offensively, but the true catalyst for this turnaround revolves around the defensive improvement. Limiting teams’ offensive chances has allowed the Rangers to spend more time on the attack resulting in far more wins than losses. A big reason for their success: the steady play of recently acquired defenseman, Will Borgen. As a reward for his strong play, Borgen signed a 5-year $20.5 million dollar extension to stay with the Rangers just hours ago (Friedman).

Borgen is the type of defenseman that every playoff team wants: a steady, consistent guy who doesn’t make many mistakes while being a physical presence in front of the net. Borgen doesn’t wow you with his playmaking and speed, but his simplistic style of play has calmed down the noise surrounding the Rangers, and management clearly recognized that. Ever since the departure of Jacob Trouba, the Blueshirts’ blueline lacked a menacing presence on the backend and Will Borgen has done everything to fill that void.

It wasn’t just the coaches and management that felt strongly of Borgen, though, as Igor Shesterkin had some high praise for the 28-year-old. “I love the way he plays in front of me. He is a huge player for us — he plays really well, smart, he’s a strong guy. We have a pretty good connection, but I hate it when I play against him,” said Shesterkin (Lazarus). As most Rangers fans know, Shesterkin is typically a man of very few words, so to hear something like this from him proves the impact Borgen has had on the ice.

Now in terms of the contract itself, the valuation might be a little high for the short sample size of Borgen’s tenure on the Rangers, but it’s nothing absurd. The contract will carry an AAV of $4.1 million for the next five years which is high for a career third-pairing defenseman, however, Borgen’s role has expanded since arriving in New York. It’s also important to note that the predicted rise in the NHL Salary Cap will make this contract far cheaper against the cap in the next couple of years than it appears right now.

Arguably the most promising aspect of Borgen’s game has been his ability to unlock K’Andre Miller, a player with so much potential who hasn’t been able to find his consistency. Miller and Borgen have been one of the Rangers’ best pairings and if their play remains consistent, the Rangers could very well surge into the playoffs.