The New York Rangers are getting ready for the start of the 2025-26 NHL season and have all but finalized their roster for opening night. Defense is an area where the brain trust seems content with simply running back the pairs they used to finish last season, with the lone exception being Vladislav Gavrikov skating on the top pair. That means Will Borgen will be the team's No. 2 right handed defenseman, a role that he needs to prove he's capable of holding.
The Rangers have confidence in Borgen, and options if he struggles
The Rangers love Borgen and made that abundantly clear when they signed him to a five-year extension with a cap hit of $4.1 million a season just 17 games after acquiring him from the Seattle Kraken. Part of the logic behind the move was to get a jump on free agency, and save some money in the process. If they really liked Borgen that much, based on how he played the rest of the season, the team could have brought him back at a lower cost.
But that didn't happen, and now he has a clean slate with Mike Sullivan at the helm. I think Borgen can be effective for the Rangers, but he seems better suited for a third pairing role in which he faces weaker competition and is deployed in lower leverage situations. He averaged 18:18 a game for the Rangers, and prior to that he was averaging 16:25 per game. That uptick in two minutes a game seems small, but I think it was just a bit much for him.
He spent 51 games as a Ranger last season, and in 849 minutes at 5v5, he had a slash line that included a 50.33 GF%, a 46.75 CF%, and a 45.14 xGF% per the folks at Evolving-Hockey. The numbers aren't great, but they could have been worse. And that says to me that Borgen was a bit overmatched. It is possible that Sullivan taking over the team will help the Rangers have a more cohesive structure, and the forwards getting more involved will make life easier for defensemen. The good news for the Rangers, but not for Borgen, is that the team has a backup plan if their newly signed defender struggles. That's where Scott Morrow would come in, and it is possible that's the reason why he is expected to start in the AHL.
Where Morrow fits in
Morrow doesn't have much more to prove in the AHL, and if he's assigned there it could be so that he logs a ton of minutes to prepare him for a larger role in the NHL. He's a skilled offensive defender, a good skater, and someone who at his peak projects to be a top four defender. He was acquired in the K'Andre Miller trade, and it feels like the second pair job is for his to claim in the future. That would then see Borgen move to the third pair, and such a move would bolster the team's overall depth. If Morrow took a spot on the second pair, and Borgen went to the third pair, that means Braden Schneider could shift to the left side on the third pair. He's currently projected to anchor the third pair alongside Urho Vaakanainen, and Morrow entering the mix would likely push Schneider's partner to the press box.
Expect things to remain status quo for a bit
While there are moves that could be made to help the Rangers, I expect everyone to get a chance to prove themselves and find their footing under Sullivan. The lineup to start the season is expected to feature many familiar combinations, and that feels intentional. When you have a new coaching staff there are things they want to implement, and one of the easiest ways to do that is by leaning on players who are familiar with each other. Once they can start executing the concept and systems, then it becomes easier to tinker. So even though Borgen is probably better suited for a third-pair role, he's going to get a chance to show he's got more to give.