If there was splash for the Boston Bruins in the offseason, it was the acquisition of flashy winger J-J Peterka from the Utah Mammoth, but if there is an acquisition who could change the game for the Bruins next season, it’s Will Borgen.
The 29-year-old defenseman (30 on Dec. 19) was acquired from the New York Rangers today in exchange for a pair of draft picks, a second-round pick next year and a conditional third-round pick (that becomes a second if the Bruins reach the conference final in either of the next two seasons and if Borgen plays in 50% of that postseason).
Forward prospect Will Zellers showed some savvy around the net with his playmaking ability on the third of the Bruins’ four-day Development Camp at Warrior Arena in Brighton. Management is building out for the now in goal and on defense, while hoping the windfall of draft picks and prospects realized at the March 2025 trade deadline will yield the long-range future of the forward lines.
The key for Borgen: He shoots right.
Why is that such a big deal?
In the 21st century, forechecking and breakout strategy has become so technical that coaches almost exclusively deploy right-shot defensemen to the right side of the ice and left shots to the left. Rosters are often imbalanced as to the number of rights vs. lefts, and in those cases it’s imperative that the imbalanced team has a defenseman unusually adept at defending on his unnatural side of the ice.
In the 2011 run to the Stanley Cup, Dennis Seidenberg was that player for the Bruins, with Zdeno Chara forming Boston’s shutdown defense pairing, both being left shots. In the sequel Cup final in 2013 against Chicago, did that awkwardness factor in the Blackhawks’ tying goal late in the third period of Game 6 when the pairing was on the ice? The Johnny Boychuk-Andrew Ference pairing gave up the game winner, being outquicked to the puck by Dave Bolland on a double carom off the backboards and the side of the cage. You can’t win ’em all, but there is no doubt the Seidenberg-Chara pairing was formidable for as long as it was able to last.
Rink Rap will not compare anyone on the current Bruins roster to either beast of 2011, but last season the Bruins spent too many nights trying to find left-shot defensemen who could play the right side. Borgen is an attempt to solve the problem.
In fact, General Manager Don Sweeney added two right shots to the roster on July 1, signing former Bruin Connor Clifton (two-year contract at $2.75 million per season) as well.
The widely rumored offloading of Mason Lohrei and Henri Jokiharju has not happened as of this posting, and Sweeney brought back Jordan Harris on a one-year, $850,000 contract, so the Bruins’ blue-line depth is a crowded house entering the summer break. No one really famous came to Boston this offseason, but the bright side is the right side of the ice finally has balanced representation.
Left (6): Hampus Lindholm, Nikita Zadorov, Jonathan Aspirot, Frederic Brunet, Harris, Lohrei.
Right (4): Charlie McAvoy, Borgen, Clifton, Jokiharju.
In meeting the media a short while ago at Warrior Arena, Sweeney acknowledged the departure of RHD Andrew Peeke via free agency but did not indicate that there will be necessary subtractions from the remaining group. He noted McAvoy’s season-opening, six-game suspension as a reason to take it slowly when it comes to pairing down.
That said, it is difficult to imagine the Bruins keeping that many NHL defensemen around to begin with, and more to the point, how can they run it back with Jokiharju after acquiring Borgen and Clifton and already knowing Aspirot can play the right side? As for Lohrei, reports associating him with trades circulated into the day.
Earlier in the day, the Bruins sent backup goalie Joonas Korpisalo to the Rangers for a 2028 fourth-round pick and AHL forward Kalle Vaisanen.
Given the housecleaning of the Providence Bruins, restocking that AHL team was an underlying activity, and the Bruins signed four other players, forwards Brendan Gaunce and Brian Halonen, defenseman Maxence Guenette and goaltender Jiri Patera.
It will be quite the changeover in Providence to a new group of players and only a few familiar faces returning.
It’s widely assumed that AHL Goalie of the Year Michael DiPietro will back up Jeremy Swayman. He will certainly get first dibbs, as the brain trust has determined that Korpisalo’s cap hit is no longer necessary to carry after Swayman’s bounce-back season to Vezina Trophy finalist.
A couple of other players leaving Providence but not leaving the Bruins: Brunet and center Matt Poitras, who have, along with DiPietro, developed their games to the precipice of an NHL opportunity. So it could be three P-Bruins graduating to the NHL in 2026-27.
The overarching program continues: 1. Provide a sturdy back end, tweak as necessary; 2. Draft and develop the forwards of the future and integrate those players as they achieve readiness on their own individual schedules.
Despite acquiring Peterka to add youthful speed and skill up front, at the end of the day on July 1, Sweeney was not willing to compete for a high-priced solution on the back end.
Whether the Bruins improve in 2026-27 will necessarily be determined by how well Borgen performs as the right-shot addition to their top four.
More could happen and soon, as it’s hard to imagine this large pool of defensemen going to camp in September.
Rink Rap with Mick Colageo 