Rangers retool defense by adding Pettersson and Durzi, trading Borgen
The New York Rangers remodeled their defense corps on Wednesday, adding veterans Marcus Pettersson and Sean Durzi in separate trades while dealing Will Borgen to the Boston Bruins.
They dealt a 2030 first-round pick that’s top-10 protected to the Vancouver Canucks for Pettersson, who has a long history playing for Rangers coach Mike Sullivan in Pittsburgh. Durzi, a right-handed shooter, came as part of the return in the trade that sent veteran center Vincent Trocheck to the Utah Mammoth. The return for Borgen includes a second-round pick in the 2027 draft and a conditional third-round choice in 2028.
The Pettersson trade is the biggest future commitment for the Rangers. The 30-year-old is under contract through 2030-31 with a $5.5 million average annual value. Pettersson opted to waive his no-movement clause to come to New York; the NMC has two seasons remaining before reverting to a 15-team no-trade clause. Durzi has two seasons remaining on a contract with a $6 million AAV and a 10-team no-trade clause in each.
The moves give the Blueshirts a retooled defensive group. It’s likely that Pettersson will slot in as the second-pair left defenseman behind Vladislav Gavrikov. Matthew Robertson and Alberts Šmits, taken with the No. 5 pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, figure to be in the mix for the third-pair role — the deal could mean that Smits is headed for AHL Hartford to start the season.
Durzi figures to play the right side on the second pairing behind Adam Fox and Gavrikov.
Vancouver acquired Pettersson from the Penguins on Feb. 1, 2025 in a deal that sent the first-round pick it received from the Rangers in the J.T. Miller trade to Pittsburgh. He played under Sullivan for seven seasons with the Penguins.
Pettersson, selected in the second round (No. 38) by the Anaheim Ducks in 2014, has 180 points (21 goals, 159 assists) in 604 regular-season games, as well as four assists in 25 Stanley Cup Playoff games. The Penguins acquired Pettersson in a trade with the Ducks on Dec. 3, 2018, and he signed a five-year contract with them on Jan. 28, 2020. The native of Skelleftea, Sweden, was in the final season of that contract when he was traded to the Canucks.
Rangers retool defense by adding Pettersson, Durzi; dealing Borgen
The Canucks signed Pettersson to a six-year, $33 million contract four days after the trade. He was one of three skaters to appear in all 82 games for Vancouver in 2025-26, finishing with 18 points (three goals, 15 assists). but had a difficult first full season in Vancouver, which finished last in the overall standing.
Pettersson, a defensive defenseman, was among many players whose game suffered as a result of Vancouver’s structural failure throughout the season.
However, Vancouver still successfully limited scoring chances against far more effectively in Pettersson’s minutes than it did with any of their other defensemen on the ice and seems like a good bet to bounce back in a more settled environment.
Durzi had five goals and 27 points in 60 games last season. He’s averaged more than 20 minutes per game in his career and can play in a top-four role. The 27-year-old scored an overtime winner against the Rangers on Jan. 5 at Madison Square Garden – a game that saw Fox and starting goaltender Igor Shesterkin sustain injuries that kept them out of action until after the Olympic break.
In 302 NHL games, Durzi has 144 points (30 goals, 114 assists). He also has six points (two goals, four assists) in 19 Stanley Cup Playoff games.
The Rangers got Borgen in a December 2024 trade that sent forward Kaapo Kakko to the Seattle Kraken. He played in 75 games with the Rangers last season, finishing with 15 points (five goals, 10 assists) while averaging 18:03 time on ice per game. The 29-year-old has skated in 373 regular-season games with New York, Seattle and the Buffalo Sabres, totaling 83 points (18 goals, 65 assists).
