Defenseman Will Borgen Talks About Trade to Bruins, Potential Role in Lineup
Since the start of Free Agency on July 1, the Boston Bruins have added a handful of new faces to the organization.
One of those new players is defenseman Will Borgen, who was traded to Boston by the New York Rangers for a 2027 second-round pick and a conditional 2028 third-round pick on Wednesday.
On Thursday, Borgen spoke to the media about the trade and coming to Boston.
“Thank you for welcoming me,” said Borgen. “It's always unexpected, but it's part of the job, part of the business, and it happens. And yeah, I just got the news and I was very happy with where it was to. I love the city of Boston and I know a handful of the guys on the team and every time I'm there, it's nice to see those guys. And I just like the city as well.”
🎥 New B's defenseman Will Borgen on his style of play: "I try to be competitive every night, play hard against the other team's top players if I'm playing against them...play hard against whoever. I try to play a physical game."
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) July 3, 2026
Read more ➡️ https://t.co/LZKYQq95ZS pic.twitter.com/VanrCLDGaZ
The Moorhead, Minn., native has been with New York since Dec. 2024 when he was traded to the Rangers by the Seattle Kraken. During the 2025-26 season, he skated in 75 games and tallied five goals and 10 assists for 15 points as well as boasted a plus-3 rating.
Borgen shared his thoughts about his potential role in the Bruins’ lineup and emphasized that he is just focused on helping the team be successful.
“My role I feel like it's always pretty much the same,” said Borgen. “I try to be competitive every night, play hard against the other team's top players if I can if I'm playing against them. If I'm not, I mean, play hard against whoever. I try to play a physical game and mostly on the defensive side. If I can move the puck forward to the forwards and let them do their work and every once in a while if I can join, but yeah, I don't know where I'll shake out in the lineup, but wherever it is, I'm just happy to help.”
Borgen also detailed the conversation he had with Bruins general manager Don Sweeney after he was traded to the Bruins.
“Mostly just welcoming me,” said Borgen. “He called, introduced himself, welcomed me to the team, and yeah. I mean, [we] didn't really talk too much about where I'm going to be playing or what the deal is. I had a lot of phone calls yesterday with different people, but yeah, didn't talk too much of the hockey logistics, just more just introducing and welcoming me.”
The Bruins will continue their work in the free agency market next week.
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Kim Rankin is a lead writer for Boston Bruins on SI and Boston College On SI. A 2020 graduate of the University of Alabama. she joined Alabama Crimson Tide On SI in February 2024 covering baseball, softball, football, men’s basketball, and more for BamaCentral, but has also contributed to Missouri Tigers On SI. She previously worked as the brand manager at Tide 100.9 FM in Tuscaloosa, Ala. She has covered a wide variety of events including SEC Championships, NCAA Regionals, and bowl games.