He was in the right place at the right time Monday, but that hasn’t always been the case.
Selected by the Buffalo Sabres in the fourth round (No. 92) of the 2015 NHL Draft, he played just four games for Buffalo in 2018-19. He spent the entire 2019-20 season with Rochester of the American Hockey League, then played 10 more games for Buffalo in 2020-21 before getting selected by the Kraken in the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft.
Even in his new home, he was boxed out by a group of veteran defensemen in Seattle’s inaugural season and didn’t get many opportunities to play in the 2021-22 season until after the Kraken dealt players ahead of him on the depth chart at the Trade Deadline.
He played 36 games for Seattle that season and has played in every game for the Kraken since the start of last season.
“[After] the Expansion Draft, we had a lot of good players,” Borgen said. “I finally found a role or a spot on the team a little bit later into the season, and I’ve been rolling with it.”
Borgen has earned a spot on the Kraken’s shutdown defensemen pairing, typically skating with Jamie Oleksiak.
“He’s got his family here, as most players do, so I’m sure it was a pretty memorable moment for him,” Seattle coach Dave Hakstol said. “But his pathway, just learning and becoming a consistent player, that's a really hard thing to do in this league, especially as a young defenseman.
“There was a lot of start, stop, and go in his career when you look at it, through COVID, injuries, different things like that. So he didn’t have the opportunity to build that base as early in his career as maybe you’d hope for a young defenseman, but since that point, he’s dug in. He’s grown a real strong relationship with [assistant coach Jay Leach], and the two of them have done a nice job growing his game.”
Borgen has also formed a close bond with forward Matty Beniers, the reigning Calder Trophy winner, who is also his roommate. Beniers said it was a thrill to see his friend score on the big stage Monday.
“You’re just super excited for him,” Beniers said. “He’s obviously a rock back there, plays super hard, a shutdown D, and he’s got that offensive flair. He’s able to put the puck in the net.
“It was kind of funny because we were talking before the game, and I was like, ‘What are you going to do if you score?’ He’s like, ‘I’m not scoring!’ So [after he scored], I said, ‘Do something cool!’ It was awesome for him, and he’s been great all year, so good for him.”
