Why missing key defenseman would be big loss for Rangers vs. Blue Jackets
Will Borgen was not on the ice for the New York Rangers at practice Friday in Columbus, one day before they begin a busy weekend by facing the Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena. Coach Mike Sullivan said Borgen is day to day with an upper-body injury but wouldn’t rule him out when the Metropolitan Division rivals meet for the first time this season.
It’s unclear when or how Borgen was injured — he played the entirety of Wednesday’s 7-3 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning. With Borgen not on the ice Friday, Carson Soucy, his regular partner, was paired with Braden Schneider while Matthew Robertson played alongside Urho Vaakanainen.
Borgen is one of those players who is easy to overlook despite averaging a career-high 18:43 of ice time. His goal in the win at Tampa Bay was his first of the season and his third point. He hadn’t hit the score sheet since assisting on the Rangers’ only goal in a 3-1 loss to the Minnesota Wild on Oct. 20.
“We’re not asking him to score a lot of goals,” Sullivan said earlier this week.
But not having Borgen on the blue line against a Columbus team that is 9-7-1 after a 5-4 win against the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday would be a sizeable loss.
The Rangers have had a major turnaround defensively, and Borgen is a big reason why. They were 28th in the NHL last season in 5-on-5 expected goals against per 60 minutes, according to Natural Stat Trick. Entering the game in Columbus, they are second (2.13).
Will Borgen has been key to solidifying Rangers’ defense
New York acquired Borgen from the Seattle Kraken last December in the trade that sent forward Kaapo Kakko, the No. 2 pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, to the League’s newest franchise. Less than two months later, general manager Chris Drury made a major commitment to his new defenseman, signing him to a five-year extension with an average annual value of $4.1 million.
Drury didn’t do it because of Borgen’s ability to score – the 28-year-old’s five goals last season was a career high – but rather because of his ability to help Igor Shesterkin and Jonathan Quick keep the puck out of the Rangers’ net. He’s blocked 24 shots, fourth on the team, and he and Soucy have been on the ice for five 5-on-5 goals for and only two against during the 14 games and 138:02 they’ve played together.
“What we’re asking of Will is to be hard to play against and defend hard, help us on the penalty kill, defend the rushes aggressively, kill plays in the D-zone, be hard at the net front,” Sullivan said. “That’s the game that we think he excels at. That’s what he’s brought to us.”
Sullivan, who coached the Pittsburgh Penguins for 10 seasons before parting ways with them and signing with the Rangers in May, didn’t know much about Borgen before coming to Broadway. But in watching him on film during the offseason, the coach said he liked Borgen’s willingness to defend and how he uses his size (6-foot-3, 200 pounds) to his advantage.
“Number one, he’s competitive, and he has a level of abrasiveness to his game that I think makes us a whole lot more difficult to play against,” Sullivan said.
Borgen looks like a legit shutdown defenseman who can handle top-four minutes and kill penalties, especially under Sullivan’s zone approach to defending. One thing that’s helped him, even with a coaching change, is that he’s more familiar with his new team as he nears the one-year mark since coming to New York. Borgen said this week that he’s feeling “more comfortable everywhere on and off the ice.”
Sullivan, who helped a number of defensemen, including Kris Letang, raise their game in Pittsburgh, has liked what he’s seen so far and hopes Borgen won’t have to miss time – especially with the Rangers playing the second half of a back-to-back when the Detroit Red Wings come to town on Sunday, followed by a three-game trip to Vegas, Colorado and Utah.
“He’s a reliable, trustworthy defenseman, and he’s predictable for his partner,” Sullivan said. “I think those are great attributes to have for a defenseman.”
