Henrik Borgstrom
Costello: Are you the manager?
Abbott: Yes.
Costello: You gonna be the coach too?
Abbott: Yes.
Costello: And you don't know the fellows' names?
Abbott: Well, I should.
Costello: Well then who's on first?
Abbott: Yes.
Costello: I mean the fellow's name.
Abbott: Who.
Costello: The guy on first.
Abbott: Who.
Costello: The first baseman.
Abbott: Who.
Costello: The guy playing...
Abbott: Who is on first!
Costello: I'm asking YOU who's on first.
Abbott: That's the man's name.
Costello: That's who's name?
Abbott: Yes.
Costello: Well, go ahead and tell me.
Abbott: That's it.
Costello: That's who?
Abbott: Yes.
Who is sixth (perhaps fifth, depending on where you stand on Connor McMichael being a center) on the depth chart of centers for the Washington Capitals, has a two-way contract, 110 regular season games on the NHL on his resume, and is a former first round draft pick (23rd overall by Florida, the eighth center taken in the 2016 Entry Draft, 12 picks ahead of Jordan Kyrou and 16 picks ahead of Alex Debrincat)?
If you answered “Henrik Borgstrom” without looking it up, you should audition for a spot on “Jeopardy!” Actuall, Borgstrom’s climb up the hockey career ladder has been rather conventional. He had a fine season with HIFK in Finland’s junior league in the season before his draft (29-26-55 in 40 games). After he was drafted, he joined the University of Denver collegiate hockey program where he played for two years (45-50-95 in 77 games over two seasons). Then it was alternating between the Springfield Thunderbirds in the AHL and the Panthers over three seasons – 73 games with Springfield (16-29-45) and 58 with Florida (9-10-19). Then came his first “sort of” connection to the Capitals when he was traded with former Capital Brett Connolly, a seventh-round draft pick in 2021, and Riley Stillman to the Chicago Blackhawks for Lucas Carlsson and Lucas Wallmark. He played 52 games with the Blackhawks, going 4-3-7, minus-14, before his contract was bought out by Chicago last July 11th and was signed by the Caps three days later on a one-year/$750,000 deal.
Odd Borgstrom Fact… He’s a Capital. Isn’t that odd enough? OK, he’s a Finn. Only seven players born in Finland have ever dressed for the Caps (Antero Lehtonen, Timo Blomqvist, Mikko Leinonen, Esa Tikkanen, Mika Elomo, Sami Lepisto, Oskar Osala). Osala was the last Finn to suit up for the Caps, on March 10, 2010, in a 4-3 overtime win over Carolina.
Fearless’ Take… You might call Borgstrom’s presence with the Caps “insurance in depth” for a position that looked pretty deep last season but looks a bit thin and brittle at the moment with the injury to Nicklas Backstrom, the uncertain role Connor McMichael might play, and what lies in store for Lars Eller (will he stay? Will he go?). He was a scorer in amateur hockey and in the AHL, and he is still just 25 years old, so one can harbor the hope that he has an untapped potential that lacks only an extended opportunity to express it.
Cheerless’ Take… Yeah, cuz…you hang on to that dream. A 25-year old with scoring potential with what looked like a decent contract (one year remaining on a two-year/$2.0 million deal, and yeah, it was a one-way deal) doesn’t get his contract bought out by a team in the midst of a rebuild. Over Borgstrom’s four years in the league, he is one of 13 players to appear in fewer than 125 games (110) and have an on-ice goal differential at even strength of minus-25 or worse (minus-28). Sure, he played on some poor teams, but he didn’t seem to be part of the solution to whatever defensive shortcomings those teams had.
Potential Milestones to Reach in 2022-2023
None on the horizon
The Big Question… Will Henrik Borgstrom take the ice for the Caps this season?
It is hard to see how Borgstrom will get much, if any time with the big club absent significant adversity in the lineup or changes in the roster (trades, waiving roster players, etc.). But that might be why he was acquired. The roster, while perhaps reflecting a clear depth chart quality, is also uncertain, starting with the rehabilitation of Nicklas Backstrom and how long that might take. That is not to say he would be unable to make a contribution if called upon, but his upside seems to be as a bottom-six forward, and he is going to have to impress at Hershey. As a player in the walk year of his current contract, he has incentive to impress wherever and whenever called upon, but it would seem he would have to do so in Hershey this season.
In the end…
Let’s face it. If Henrik Borgstrom gets much in the way of ice time with the Caps this season, chances are the team would be enduring quite a bit of adversity unless he plays out of his mind in training camp and wins a roster spot. His signing is a bit curious, perhaps signaling at the club is not convinced that prospects such as Hendrix Lapierre or Aliaksei Protas are sufficiently seasoned to advance to the roster as centers. Perhaps he would have value as an added player in a trade at the trading deadline. He does, however, have the advantage of more than 100 regular season games of experience, and he has shown promise in the past as a scorer. For a team with a “win now” mentality, his presence is evidence that the club will not skip the details, including providing depth in the bottom six forward spots, to address their chances for a long playoff run.
Projection: 5 games, 0-2-2, minus-1
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