The Seattle Kraken have re-signed defenseman William Borgen to a two-year contract. The deal will carry an AAV of $2.7MM and finish after the 2024-25 NHL season.
Drafted by the Seattle Kraken in their expansion draft from the Buffalo Sabres, Borgen took off significantly for the Kraken last year. Primarily used as an extra defenseman in the team’s first year, Borgen only managed eight points in 36 games, averaging just over 15 minutes a night. He did show off a decent amount of physicality, recording 89 hits in a little less than half a year. Spending time on the penalty kill and showing some true defensive prowess, Borgen was coming into his own as a defensive defenseman.
This season, the Kraken extended the leash on Borgen quite a bit, suiting him up for all 82 games. In the best statistical season of his career so far, the former 92nd overall pick scored three goals and 17 assists, averaging over 16 minutes a night. He still kept a lot of the physicality he showed off in his first season, blocking 89 shots and throwing 203 hits. Unfortunately, though, Borgen may have a difficult time moving up in the Kraken lineup.
Seattle already has Justin Schultz and Adam Larsson signed on the right side of their defensive unit, and Borgen plays a similar game to Larsson. Given that it will be a two-year pact, the Kraken may have plans for Borgen to eventually replace Larsson after he becomes an unrestricted free agent after the 2024-25 NHL season.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman was the first to report the contract.