NY Rangers Acquisition Viewed as Upgrade on Will Borgen

The New York Rangers did well upgrading their blueline this offseason.

Jan 20, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; New York Rangers defenseman Will Borgen (17) moves the puck against the Los Angeles Kings during the second period at Crypto.com Arena. / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

One of the tasks that the New York Rangers set out to achieve this offseason was upgrading their depth chart at the blueline.

This past season, Adam Fox and Vladislav Gavrikov were one of the best defensive pairings in the NHL. However, the team’s performance at the blueline crumbled when Fox was sidelined because of injury.

Braden Schneider was thrust into a larger role, and his production plummeted against better competition as Gavrikov’s partner at the top line. The team also didn’t receive the kind of production from Will Borgen that they were hoping for, which is part of the reason so many changes were made.

One of the new defensemen coming in is Sean Durzi, who was acquired as part of the return package from the Utah Mammoth in exchange for Vincent Trocheck. His addition is one that an Eastern Conference scout who spoke to Peter Baugh and Vincent Z. Mercogliano of The Athletic (subscription required) spoke very highly of, believing he is a better fit than Borgen.

Rangers did well upgrading on Will Borgen

Mar 16, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers defenseman Will Borgen (17) skates during the first period against the Edmonton Oilers at Madison Square Garden. / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

“Durzi’s a very capable second-pairing defenseman that can also run your second power play, or run the top power play if (Adam) Fox is out,” Scout 4 said. “He’s not a big guy, but he’s feisty. … I think there’s more upside there.”

With plenty of top-four pairing minutes in his career, Durzi is someone whom head coach Mike Sullivan is going to rely on heavily. A puck-moving defenseman is exactly what he was hoping the team would add, and Durzi fits that bill.

Last season, he recorded 22 assists to go along with five goals. It was the fourth time in five NHL seasons that Durzi recorded at least 22 assists, proving to be a productive offensive threat at all his stops.

New York will technically be the fourth franchise he has suited up for in six seasons, starting his career with the Los Angeles Kings before playing one season with the Arizona Coyotes and two years with the Mammoth.

Sean Durzi is puck-mover Mike Sullivan wanted

Apr 24, 2026; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Mammoth defenseman Sean Durzi (50) shoots the puck against the Vegas Golden Knights during the first period in game three of the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Delta Center. / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

In 75 games played, Borgen had only 15 points, scoring five goals and handing out 10 assists in 1,353:08 minutes of ice time. Durzi produced his stats in only 60 games and 1,155:40 minutes on the ice.

Along with Durzi, the Rangers also acquired Marcus Pettersson from the Vancouver Canucks in another deal. He looks like the ideal partner for Durzi as a defensive-minded player who has played for Sullivan previously, behind Fox and Gavrikov.

Getting a second-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft and a conditional third-round pick in the 2028 NHL Draft that could become a second-rounder from the Boston Bruins for Borgen was a great deal for New York as well.