With the New York Rangers heading into free agency, there will be no shortage of news surrounding the team. After a strong NHL draft, the team still has some work to do in the offseason.
After a high-profile matchup at the NHL Draft that saw them acquire Albert Smits and trade for Pavel Dorofeev, New York now appears to have a clear direction for their path forward. The team’s retooling was a bit uneven, but with Dorofeev’s arrival the situation suddenly became much better.
The Rangers are going to be a team that is looking for young talent that can help them compete not only now, but in the future. At 25 years of age, Dorofeev checks that box and it will provide them with serious support in terms of performance.
While free agency heats up, the trade market should too. There was one name that recently surfaced in New York that hadn’t really been mentioned heading into the offseason.
The Hearing #Sens are one of several teams interested in Rangers defenseman Will Borgen. He has four years left on his contract.
— Bruce Garrioch (@SunGarrioch) July 1, 2026
With the Ottawa Senators among several teams interested in the Rangers defenseman, it will be interesting to see what happens in the future. The two names that were mentioned most often this offseason were Vincent Trocheck and Braden Schneider.
Trocheck is expected to get a deal this offseason after New York received offers for him before last year’s trade deadline. However, they may have to wait to see Dylan Larkin move first, considering he is the best center available.
Moreover, since Schneider is a restricted free agent, things have been quiet on the extension front, which is a possible indicator that New York would like to move him as well.
Although these two have been mentioned most often, Borgen is the interesting one. The 29-year-old just recently signed a five-year, $20 million contract ahead of the 2025-26 campaign. For the Rangers, he was the third defensive pairing behind Adam Fox and Schneider. However, with some attacking ability, he could well become a second pairing player.
With teams interested in him, perhaps the Rangers would opt to move him over Schneider, who is a bit younger. As free agency begins to pick up steam and trade rumors continue to circulate, it will be interesting to see if Borgen actually gets traded.