Will Borgen wasn’t brought to Boston to turn heads with offense. He’s been brought in to do the dirty work, and through 18 games, that’s exactly where he’s made his mark for the Bruins.
The 29-year-old defenseman has never been a big scorer - 20 goals in 391 career NHL games - and both of his goals in a Bruins uniform have come into empty nets in the final seconds of wins. Even that has been a rare event in his career.
Marco Sturm said earlier this season, “I found out today that he didn’t score an empty-net goal - before he came to Boston - since high school,” before adding, “It’s far back. But he scored one in San Jose.
He scored one again [on Oct. 24 vs. the Sharks].
“Very happy for him, and he went for it too. He’s not shy.
Why is he out there? Because he’s not playing shy.”
Boston paid a 2027 second-round pick and a conditional 2028 third-round selection to get Borgen from the Rangers, and the Bruins clearly weren’t making that move for power-play flair or highlight-reel offense. They wanted a sturdy, mobile defenseman who could help clean up a blue line that gave up too much last season, and so far he’s fit that job well.
Sturm has been direct about what he’s seen. “I think he’s been excellent,” he said.
“He’s a quiet kid, but I feel like he plays an aggressive style on the ice. He closes quickly.
He’s been a great addition to our team, too.”
The numbers back that up. Borgen ranks third on the Bruins in total ice time at 344:04, behind only Hampus Lindholm and David Pastrnak.
He also leads Boston in plus-minus at plus-18, which is the fifth-best mark in the NHL. On top of that, he’s second on the team with 24 blocked shots and third with 44 hits, trailing only Nikita Zadorov and Tanner Jeannot.
The deeper metrics tell the same story. Among 577 NHL players with at least 100 minutes of 5-on-5 ice time, Borgen ranks 491st in offensive-zone start percentage at 36.59 percent. In other words, he’s being used as a shutdown defender, not someone who’s getting sheltered or handed easy offensive looks.
And yet Boston has still controlled play with him on the ice. In his 292:18 of 5-on-5 time this season, the Bruins have outscored opponents 19-4 and own a 67-60 edge in high-danger chances.
That showed up again in Sunday’s 4-1 win over the Panthers, when Borgen spent much of his 5-on-5 time against Florida’s top line of Matthew Tkachuk, Brady Tkachuk, and Sam Bennett. Boston gave up no goals in those minutes and held a 4-1 edge in scoring chances when Borgen was on the ice with Matthew Tkachuk for 6:16.
The pairing of Borgen and Zadorov has been especially effective. In 154:16 of 5-on-5 ice time together, the Bruins have allowed only two goals.
Borgen may not get the same spotlight as Pastrnak, Charlie McAvoy, or Jeremy Swayman, and his game doesn’t have the flash of Zadorov or the skill of James Hagens. But Boston’s defense has looked tougher and harder to crack with him in the mix, and Sturm says that’s exactly what the Bruins expected.
“Plays really hard,” Sturm said of Borgen. “He’s a quiet kid, but I feel like he comes out a little bit more on the ice. … I think that’s something we were hoping to get when we traded for him, and he’s delivered so far, perfectly.”
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