The New York Rangers have continued with their major defensive-core shakeup, acquiring Marcus Pettersson from the Vancouver Canucks and trading Will Borgen to the Boston Bruins. 

In exchange for Pettersson, the Rangers have reportedly given the Canucks a 2020 top-ten protected first-round pick.

Pettersson has a longstanding relationship with Mike Sullivan, as the Swedish blueliner played under Sullivan with the Pittsburgh Penguins from 2018 to 2025.

The Rangers add a bona fide top-four defenseman in Pettersson, who has averaged over 20 minutes per game since the 2022-23 campaign. 

The 30-year-old defenseman holds a cap hit of $5.5 million until his current contract expires in 2031. 

With Pettersson making his way to The Big Apple, Borgen is now headed to Boston. 

The Rangers acquired a 2027 second-round pick and a conditional 2028 third-round pick in exchange for Borgen.

The Rangers acquired Borgen from the Seattle Kraken as the centerpiece of the Kaapo Kakko trade.

Borgen fit in well during his first season with the Blueshirts, which helped him earn a five-year, $20 million contract extension in January 2025. 

However, Borgen struggled from a consistency standpoint throughout the 2025-26 season, with some of his defensive woes too hard to ignore, leading to his role steadily decreasing over the course of the year.

Borgen’s departure likely increases the odds of Braden Schneider staying despite him still being a restricted free agent without a contract extension in place. 

The Rangers also added right-handed defenseman Sean Durzi from the Utah Mammoth in the trade involving Vincent Trocheck.