NY Rangers Trade Will Borgen to Eastern Conference Rivals

The New York Rangers continued reshaping the defenseman depth chart trading Will Borgen.

Apr 5, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers defenseman Will Borgen (17) skates against the Washington Capitals during the first period at Madison Square Garden. / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The New York Rangers came into the offseason looking to revamp the defensive depth chart in the organization, and they have accomplished that.

After selecting five left-handed defensemen in the 2026 NHL Draft, including Albert Smiths with the No. 5 pick, more changes were made when free agency began. The Rangers have just completed trade No. 4 to continue the overhaul.

Defenseman William Borgen, who was originally acquired by New York from the Seattle Kraken along with a third- and sixth-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft in exchange for Kaapo Kakko, is on the move again.

He is being traded to the Boston Bruins in exchange for two draft picks: a 2027 second-round pick and a conditional 2028 third-round pick. The condition for the selection, as shared by Mollie Walker of the New York Post, is that the Bruins make the conference finals in either of the next two years and Borgen plays in at least 50% of the team’s postseason games.

Rangers trade William Borgen to Bruins

Feb 26, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers defenseman Will Borgen (17) attempts a shot on goal in the first period against the Philadelphia Flyers at Madison Square Garden. / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

That is a pretty solid return package for the Rangers, especially when taking into consideration that Borgen was looking to potentially be the odd man out of their defenseman rotation with all the changes that have been made.

Adam Fox and Vladislav Gavrikov are the No. 1 pairing still as one of the best defensive duos in the NHL. Marcus Pettersson, acquired from the Vancouver Canucks, and Chris Druzi, acquired from the Utah Mammoth in the Vincent Trocheck deal, look like the No. 2 pairing.

Smits is going to eventually factor into the mix, and the team still has Braden Schneider, who is a restricted free agent, and Matthew Robertson as well. Trade rumors have swirled around Schneider, but the likelihood of him staying with the club certainly increases with Borgen no longer in the mix.

#NYR are trading Will Borgen to the Bruins in exchange for a 2027 second-round pick and a conditional 2028 third-rounder.

Condition is that the Rangers receive Boston's 2028 second-round pick if Boston makes the conference final in either 2026-27 or 2027-28 and Borgen plays in…

— Mollie Walker (@MollieeWalkerr) July 1, 2026

Alas, with there reportedly being a lot of interest in Borgen around the league, the Bruins made a strong, competitive offer to acquire him.

In 75 games this past season, Borgen recorded 15 points, scoring five goals to go along with 10 assists. He had a plus/minus ratio of +3, building off a successful 51-game stint he had with the franchise after being acquired from the Kraken last season.

This is the second trade that New York has completed with their bitter Eastern Conference rivals on the first day of NHL free agency. One of the first moves that the Rangers made was acquiring goalie Joonas Korpisalo from Boston to compete for the backup spot behind Igor Shesterkin along with Dylan Garand.