The Canucks need additional help on defense — that’s been apparent all season — but it’s a need that’s about to be magnified over the medium term by
Filip Hronek’s eight-week absence. Vancouver was going to need to bolster the right side of its back end anyway, but the Hronek situation ups the stakes. This front office is exceptionally aggressive about making in-season trades historically and has specifically moved proactively to boost its blue line in times of need — the club dealt for
Nikita Zadorov in late November of 2023, for example, after
Carson Soucy was injured. Among the pending unrestricted free-agent defenders, Borgen stands out. He’s relatively affordable cap-wise, he’s still relatively young (and would represent a potential long-term fit from a Vancouver perspective) and he’s a credible top-four option with enough offensive juice to potentially work as a fill-in caddy for
Quinn Hughes on Vancouver’s top pair. He checks all the boxes. The Canucks seem to be pretty reticent about dealing significant futures or good young players for rental-type defenders, but a second-round pick for a player such as Borgen, who is young enough that the club might be willing to outbid other suitors for his services, would be a no-brainer. If the Kraken, who organizationally still have designs on competing for a playoff spot, decide to sell between now and the deadline, this would be a perfect fit at a reasonable enough price for the Canucks
