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Carson Soucy

Rangers Face Uphill Battle With Adam Fox On LTIR

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The New York Rangers were riding a three-game win-streak into Saturday’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning. It was tied for their longest win-streak of the year, and their second three-game streak in November. But on the back of that fortune, the Rangers have been dealt a major lineup blow. Star defenseman Adam Fox sustained an upper-body injury that has landed him on long-term injured reserve. The Rangers avoided worst-case-scenario, with Fox expected to return before the end of the year. Even then, New York will face their toughest challenge of the season with at least 10 games without Fox.

Fox fills a clear #1 role for the Rangers. He has averaged 23:50 in ice time through 27 games this season, his highest usage since the 2022-23 season. He’s scored 26 points in those appaerances, tied for most on the team with Artemi Panarin. Fox also leads the defense with 51 shots on goal and ranks in the top-three with 31 blocked shots. He is a focal piece of play in all three zones when he’s on the ice, and now leaves a hole that will take multiple Rangers to fill.

New York has proven capable of filling the void in the past. They posted a 3-2-3 record in eight games without Fox last season, and a 7-2-1 record in 10 games without him in 2023-24. It was Erik Gustafsson who stepped up for Fox in 2023. He posted 11 points and averaged 20 minutes of ice time in those 10 games, while Jacob Trouba and K’Andre Miller averaged 24 minutes in a more defense-oriented role. The offense was a bit more spread in Fox’s absence last year – with Miller netting four points, while William Borgen and Zachary Jones each scored three, in eight games.

The Rangers have turned over the bulk of those difference-makers over the last two seasons, but did just gain Borgen back from an extended injury of his own. He was leaned on heaivly following Fox’s departure from Saturday’s game, and should continue to fill an important all-zones role in the short-term. New York will also have Vladislav Gavrikov, who has looked sharp on both sides of the puck as of late. He has nine points and a plus-four in 15 games this month, and 11 points in 27 games on the full season.

Filling Fox’s absence has proven to be a job for two or three players. The Rangers will have to wait and see who can step up to support Borgen and Gavrikov. Carson Soucy has four points and a plus-five in 23 games this season and Braden Schneider has five points in 27 games. Both play a physical and responsible game, and have shown an ability to stand up to tough minutes when called upon.

But if they can pillar the Rangers through the next month is yet to be seen. New York has had a positive month – posting an 8-7-0 record and +2 goal-differential. They’ve avoided the depths of the league that they landed in last season, but still need another push to stand out in a crowded Eastern Conference. Now, they will have to make that heave without one of their most impactful players. The team has proven up to the test before, and aren’t doomed to struggles just yet, but this will be the toughest test that head coach Mike Sullivan has faced yet in his first year with the Rangers.

Photo courtesy of Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports.

Metro Injury Notes: Romanov, Gudbranson, Soucy

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Alexander Romanov missed the New York Islanders most recent game against the Ottawa Senators due to an upper-body injury. He’s not expected to miss any more time. According to Andrew Gross of Newsday, Romanov is fully particpating in this morning’s practice, indicating he’ll return tomorrow.

After the Islanders traded Noah Dobson this summer, they were expecting Romanov to shoulder more responsibility on the blueline. The team showed that expectation financially, signing Romanov to an eight-year, $50MM extension, making him their highest-paid defenseman.

Unfortunately, even before the injury, Romanov hasn’t looked like the defensemen the Islanders need him to be. He’s gone scoreless through his first four contests with a -3 rating, averaging 18:12 of ice time per game. He’s shown some early progression in his possession metrics, though his isolated defensive play has been subpar at best with a 85.7% on-ice save percentage at even strength. Still, there’s plenty of time left in the season for Romanov to correct his play, and hopefully being healthy will aid in that effort.

Other injury notes from the Metropolitan Division:

  • The Columbus Blue Jackets could be returning a veteran presence to their blueline relatively soon. Team reporter Jeff Svoboda reported this morning that defenseman Erik Gudbranson is skating with the team this morning, the first time he’s skated since going down with an concussion on October 11th. Still, there may not be much hope he’ll have a lot of staying power in the Blue Jackets lineup. Gudbranson has faced numerous injuries recently, playing only 16 games with Columbus last season.
  • According to Vince Z. Mercogliano of The Athletic, defenseman Carson Soucy shed his no-contact jersey at the New York Rangers’ practice this morning, indicating he’ll be activated off the IR relatively soon. Although he’s eligible to be activated from the IR today, Mercogliano wouldn’t go as far to confirm those are the Rangers intentions. Soucy suffered his injury in the team’s October 11th game against the Pittsburgh Penguins as he awkwardly flew into the boards after attempting to hit Rickard Rakell.

Metropolitan Notes: Carlson, Flyers, Borgen, Soucy

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Veteran defenseman John Carlson is in his 17th NHL season, all with the Capitals.  He’s in the final year of his contract, making him extension-eligible but the team informed him early that they didn’t want to engage in extension talks but rather want to see how the year plays out first.  Speaking with NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti earlier this week, the 35-year-old acknowledged that he’d much rather prefer to have the security of a new contract in place but understands the business side of why they want to wait as well.  Carlson is making $8MM per season on this contract and with the likelihood of his role starting to decrease over the next few years, his next deal should come in at least a little below that price tag.  But if Washington decides not to bring him back, Carlson is already ruling out retiring and in that scenario, he’d be looking elsewhere in free agency next summer.

More from the Metropolitan:

  • Long-time NHL rearguard Jay McKee wound up being a finalist for the Flyers coaching job, relays Scott Wheeler of The Athletic (subscription link). He was linked as a speculative candidate if Philadelphia expanded its search but he wound up having a three-hour interview for the position.  McKee’s desire is not to be an NHL assistant first before moving to a head coaching role at the top level but he hasn’t ruled out going that route if an NHL head coaching job doesn’t materialize.
  • Rangers blueliner Will Borgen will play against Montreal tonight, notes Mollie Walker of the New York Post (Twitter link). He has been dealing with a lingering lower-body issue that has held him out of practice and resulted in a mid-week recall of Scott Morrow but it appears that Borgen will be good to go.  The 28-year-old has an assist, seven blocks, and eight hits in six games so far this season.
  • Still with the Rangers, defenseman Carson Soucy took part in practice today in a regular (contact) jersey, mentions Vince Z. Mercogliano of The Athletic (Twitter link). The blueliner was placed on injured reserve earlier this week with an upper-body injury.  Soucy isn’t eligible to be activated until Monday but it appears that he won’t miss more time than the minimum seven days.

Rangers Recall Connor Mackey, Place Carson Soucy On IR

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The New York Rangers have placed defenseman Carson Soucy on injured reserve and recalled Connor Mackey in his place, per the NHL media site and Peter Baugh of The Athletic. Soucy had a scary collision with Pittsburgh Penguins winger Rickard Rakell in New York’s Saturday night win. The hit swept Soucy’s legs from under him as his head fell into the boards. He left the game immediately, ending his night with just over six minutes of ice time.

No details about Soucy’s injury have been revealed, though a move to IR will force him out for at least two weeks with an, assumed, upper-body injury. He played solid, second-pair minutes for the Rangers in two games prior to injury. He recorded one goal and a plus-two in those outings – both stats coming in New York’s Thursday win over the Buffalo Sabres.

Soucy is in the final year of a three-year, $9.75MM contract originally signed with the Vancouver Canucks in 2023. He spent the first two years of the deal primarily with the Canucks, racking up 16 points and a minus-three in 99 games played. Those poor totals led Vancouver to trade Soucy to New York at the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline, in exchange for a 2025 third-round pick used to draft Kieren Dervin from St. Andrew’s College.

Soucy’s absence will leave a notable hole on the Rangers’ blue-line. Mackey will earn the first nod of the season, after playing in only two NHL games, and recording one fight, last season. The rest of his year was spent with the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack, where he racked up 24 points and 102 penalty minutes in 66 games played. Mackey has found his groove as a hard-hitting defenseman. He has racked up 267 penalty minutes in 163 AHL games over his last three seasons in the league. Those years weren’t consecutive, though, as Mackey spent the 2022-23 season in an extra defender role with the Calgary Flames and Arizona Coyotes. He recorded seven points and 48 PIMs in 30 NHL games that year.

New York is likely to elevate Urho Vaakanainen into Soucy’s role on the second-pair. Behind him will be young defender Matthew Robertson, who hasn’t yet made his season debut. This injury could be an opportunity for Robertson to finally cement his role in the NHL, after earning a top-50 selection in the 2019 NHL Draft but not yet playing more than two games in the NHL. He managed 25 points and 55 penalty minutes in 60 AHL games last season. Should either Vaakanainen or Robertson falter, or New York need a spark, Mackey could make a spot start.

A tight salary cap situation puts New York in a spot where they can only afford to recall Mackey, who makes a league-minimum $775K salary, but could not afford to recall top prospect Scott Morrow, who makes a $917K salary.

East Notes: Letang, Soucy, Lorentz, Livingstone

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Only having one shift in the third period of tonight’s contest against the New York Rangers, many began to wonder if Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Kris Letang was dealing with an injury. That is indeed the case. According to Seth Rorabaugh of The Tribune-Review, Letang is being evaluated for an undisclosed injury.

Despite missing a few games last year due to injuries, Letang hasn’t dealt with any serious issues since suffering a stroke early in the 2022-23 campaign. Since returning, he’s appeared in 95.2% of all potential contests for the Penguins.

In the offseason, the Penguins indicated that they’d like to limit Letang’s usage this season. However, before tonight’s game against the Rangers, in which he played 15:29, Letang has averaged nearly 25 minutes a game, leading the team by a significant margin.

Other notes from the Eastern Conference:

  • On the other side of tonight’s contest between the Penguins and Rangers, the winning team is dealing with a defenseman injury of its own. After only appearing in 6:35 of tonight’s game, the Rangers announced that blueliner Carson Soucy left the game due to an upper-body injury. There could be cause for concern given the nature of the injury. Attempting to hit Penguins forward Rickard Rakell, Soucy missed the body check completely, flying awkwardly into the boards.
  • In a separate Eastern Conference matchup, this time in the Atlantic Division, the Toronto Maple Leafs lost forward Steven Lorentz to an upper-body injury. Lorentz’s departure from tonight’s game came early in the first period after being hit by Detroit Red Wings defenseman Ben Chiarot. He skated in 1:17 of tonight’s game, and the Maple Leafs added no further comments on the severity of his injury.
  • According to a team announcement, the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers, the main affiliate of the Florida Panthers, have signed defenseman Jake Livingstone to a contract for the 2025-26 season. The Minnesota State University alumnus has spent the last two years with the Milwaukee Admirals after debuting with the Nashville Predators in the 2022-23 season. In that two-year stint with the Admirals, Livingstone scored nine goals and 33 points in 127 games.

Metropolitan Notes: Jones, Soucy, Poulin

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The Rangers have had contract discussions with pending RFA defenseman Zac Jones, reports Mollie Walker of the New York Post (subscription link).  The 24-year-old expressed frustration with his usage earlier in the season; while he set a new career-high in games played, he still only suited up 46 times, recording 11 points in a little over 17 minutes per night of playing time.  His camp had permission to explore trade options during the season but nothing materialized in terms of a move.  He’s owed a qualifying offer of just over $866K but also has arbitration eligibility which is something New York would likely prefer to avoid.  That might explain the early discussions as if the two sides can’t find a suitable deal, Jones could be a non-tender candidate at the end of the month to avoid the risk of a possible arbitration award that’s higher than they want to pay.

More from the Metropolitan:

  • While the future of K’Andre Miller with the Rangers remains murky, Arthur Staple of The Athletic suggests (subscription link) that clearing out the final year of Carson Soucy’s contract is something else New York will be looking to do on the left side of their back end. The 30-year-old was acquired from Vancouver near the trade deadline as a buy-low addition with the hopes that a change of scenery could give him a boost.  Instead, that didn’t happen and Soucy was even briefly scratched.  He had 13 points, 106 hits, and 113 blocks in 75 games this season but with a year and $3.25MM left on his contract, GM Chris Drury likely feels that money could be better spent elsewhere.  Soucy has a full no-trade clause until July 1st when that protection drops to a 12-team no-trade list.
  • This season wasn’t a great one for Penguins winger Samuel Poulin. He cleared waivers during training camp and outside of a seven-game stint with Pittsburgh (six of which came in November), playing time at the top level was hard to come by.  Even so, Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review feels that the 24-year-old still has a chance to be in Pittsburgh’s plans.  With the team planning to get younger, the fact that he had a career-best 41 points with AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton this season, and his size as the heaviest player in the organization, Poulin could very well find himself in the mix with the big club next season.  If not, he’ll have to pass through waivers again and could be a candidate to be claimed with his stronger showing in the minors this year.

Rangers Acquire Carson Soucy

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6:30 PM: The trade has been made official by both teams.

5:15 PM: The New York Rangers have reportedly acquired veteran defenseman Carson Soucy from the Vancouver Canucks, per TSN’s Darren Dreger. In return, the Vancouver Canucks will receive the San Jose Sharks’ third-round draft pick, per Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli, which New York acquired in an earlier trade that sent winger Reilly Smith to the Vegas Golden Knights.

Vancouver reportedly asked Soucy to waive his full no-trade clause earlier in the day, per Rick Dhaliwal of The Athletic, who adds that Soucy took his time and fielded a call from fellow former-Canuck and now-Ranger J.T. Miller.

For much of the season, Soucy has been the focal point of trade rumors. He’s in his second year with the Canucks after signing a three-year, $9.8MM contract with the team in 2023. Soucy recorded six points, 12 penalty minutes, and a plus-10 in 40 games with Vancouver last season, while filling roles on both sides of the lineup. But a lower-body injury earned him a spot on injured reserve from November to January – and a hand injury shelved him for another month in February. The routine absences ate into Soucy’s ability to earn a top-four lineup role in Vancouver. He’s spent this season confined to bottom-pair minutes, with 10 points, 42 penalty minutes, and a dismal minus-13 in 59 games.

Soucy has been a routine depth defenseman since he earned his first three NHL games in 2017-18. Originally a 2013 fifth-round selection, Soucy played through his rookie season with the 2018-19 Minnesota Wild, netting 14 points, 18 penalty minutes, and a plus-16. That was enough to earn Soucy Minnesota’s oft-rotating seventh-defender role, and he showed signs of comfort with 17 points, 51 penalty minutes, and a plus-22 in 50 games of his sophomore season.

Soucy’s signs of stout depth defense were enough to convince the Seattle Kraken to select him from Minnesota in the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft. A move out West brought with it a chance at more ice time that Soucy relished in. He recorded 10 goals, 21 points, 47 penalty minutes, and a plus-seven in 64 games with the inaugural Seattle Kraken while averaging 17:40 in ice time. Each of those stats still stand as Soucy’s career-highs. He struggled to maintain the scoring in his second year with Seattle – netting just 16 points in 78 games. That led to a move north in free agency, where Soucy again struggled to plant his feet in the daily lineup.

He’ll now head out East to join a Rangers blue-line that’s seen plenty of change this season. New York has parted ways with Jacob Trouba, Ryan Lindgren, and Victor Mancini in favor of adding Urho Vaakanainen, Erik Brannstrom, and Calvin de Haan. Those new faces haven’t quite filled the lineup holes they were tasked with, which could open the door for Soucy to finally land a consistent role. Each of New York’s new additions have flashed upside in their short minutes with the Rangers, and will battle for at least two vacancies on the team’s bottom pair.

Canucks’ Carson Soucy On The Trade Block

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Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman is reporting that the Vancouver Canucks have made defenseman Carson Soucy available via trade after signing the veteran to a three-year contract just two summers ago in free agency. Soucy came over to the Canucks on July 1st, 2023, inking a three-year contract worth $9.75MM. The contract included a full no-trade clause until the end of this season, which will turn into a modified 12-team no-trade clause this summer.

The 30-year-old missed 42 games last year because of injuries and posted just two goals and four assists in 40 regular season games. His playoff numbers were significantly better as he tallied a goal and four assists in 12 playoff games. This season has once again been a struggle for the Irma, Alberta native as he has just eight points in 51 games to go along with a -15 plus/minus.

With Vancouver’s addition of defenseman Marcus Pettersson from Pittsburgh and some improved play from other Canucks defensemen, Soucy has been pushed down the depth charts and has been a healthy scratch as of late.

His contract could prove difficult to move, even without the NTC, which will certainly complicate things. Soucy would be a tough trade even without it due to his play not lining up with his cap hit. Soucy was once considered a solid penalty killer, but this season, that has fallen off a cliff. His underlying numbers have also taken a nose dive as Evolving-Hockey’s (subscription required) all-in-one goals above replacement stat ranks Soucy as the worst defenseman in the NHL (by that metric) and the third worst skater overall, giving him a -9.4. This means he has cost Vancouver 9.4 goals against compared to a replacement-level NHL player.

Given those numbers, it is easy to see why he has fallen down the depth chart and it is likely also why he finds his name in trade rumors as we inch towards the NHL Trade Deadline.

Canucks’ Carson Soucy Suspended For Game 4

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After announcing a player safety hearing for Canucks defenseman Carson Soucy on Monday morning, the NHL was swift with its decision. The blue liner has been suspended one game for cross-checking Oilers star Connor McDavid, the league confirmed in a video release. As such, he’ll be unavailable as Vancouver tries to take a 3-1 series lead with a road win in Game 4 on Tuesday.

Soucy, 29, ended up in a shoving match with McDavid behind the Canucks net just after time expired in their Game 3 win last night. McDavid initiated extracurricular contact with a slash across Soucy’s hand, after which he retaliated in kind and then cross-checked McDavid in the face – only the last of which is being disciplined here. It’s worth noting that Soucy’s check hit McDavid’s face as the Oilers star was falling to the ice, as he’d been pushed by Vancouver defenseman Nikita Zadorov just prior to the point of contact.

Speaking to reporters earlier Monday after having his hearing, Soucy said there was no intent to cross-check McDavid in the face and believed he only did so because he was falling (via The Athletic’s Harman Dayal). Zadorov was fined for his involvement in a prior decision, and while the league acknowledged Soucy’s defense in their video statement, they didn’t view it as grounds for wiping supplemental discipline off the board entirely.

“This play happens well after the game has ended, and it is not a hockey play,” the league said. “In an altercation with an opponent, Soucy chooses to raise his stick to an unacceptably high level, draws the stick back, and delivers a two-handed blow which lands to his opponent’s head.”

Soucy has been fined and suspended once before in his NHL career, but neither influenced his suspension because they didn’t occur within the last 18 months. His prior suspension came as a member of the Wild in 2021, a one-game ban for charging then-Coyotes winger and current Canucks teammate Conor Garland.

After signing a three-year, $9.75MM contract with Vancouver last summer, Soucy had an injury-plagued regular season that kept him to two goals, six points and a +10 rating while averaging 17:29 over 40 appearances. He’s struggled in the postseason on a pairing with Tyler Myers, controlling a horrid 29.9% of expected goals through nearly 100 minutes together, per MoneyPuck. He has four assists in nine games, three of which came in Games 1 through 3 against the Oilers.

Morning Notes: Brindley, Soucy, Reichel, Rangers

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Team USA has added Columbus Blue Jackets prospect Gavin Brindley to their World Championship lineup, per Steven Ellis of the Daily Faceoff (Twitter link). Brindley becomes the fourth collegiate athlete to join the squad, stepping into a room with World Juniors teammates Will Smith, Ryan Leonard, and Trey Augustine. The quartet played a major role in USA’s drive towards the 2024 World Juniors Gold Medal – and they’re now rewarded with an opportunity with the Men’s National Team. Brindley isn’t expected to line up for USA’s Monday matchup against Team Slovakia, instead joining Leonard and Matt Kessel as the team’s healthy scratches.

Brindley is continuing to have a fruitful off-season, signing his entry-level contract and making his NHL debut in early April. He received 12 minutes of ice time but wasn’t able to change his stat line. With Columbus’ season ending soon after, Brindley’s scoring this season was limited to the 25 goals and 53 points he managed in 40 games with the University of Michigan. He also added 10 points in seven World Juniors games.

Other notes from around the league:

  • The NHL Department of Player Safety is expected to hold a hearing for Vancouver Canucks defenseman Carson Soucy, shares Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman (Twitter link). Soucy could be facing punishment for cross-checking Edmonton Oilers star Connor McDavid in the face, after McDavid was knocked over by Nikita Zadorov, during a late-game scrum. Soucy has been suspended once in his career, receiving a one-game booking for charging Conor Garland in March of 2021. He was also assessed a $2,500 fine for a roughing penalty in November of 2022. It will likely be Noah Juulsen who steps in should Soucy miss any time. Juulsen has played in one postseason game this Spring, recording a -1 in 11:24 of ice time. Juulsen is coming off a career-high 54 NHL appearances this season, though he only managed seven points.
  • Team Germany has also made a lineup addition, bringing in Chicago Blackhawks forward Lukas Reichel, per Ellis (Twitter link). Reichel has been a key piece of Germany’s international presence, recording 11 points in 13 games across the last two World Championships. He also joined the team at the World U18 Division 1-A Championship in 2019 and the World Juniors in 2020. Reichel is coming off an up-and-down year, scoring just 16 points in 65 NHL games. He’ll look to reestablish his scoring spark in the familiarity of international play, with five games remaining on Germany’s slate before the quarter-finals.
  • The New York Rangers welcomed forward Filip Chytil back to practice on Monday, after he missed Game 4 with an illness. Blake Wheeler is also progressing from injury, upgrading to a full-contact jersey, shares Vince Mercogliano of USA Today Sports (Twitter link). Both Chytil and Wheeler should slot right back into the lineup, should both be cleared to play, likely bumping Jonny Brodzinski and Will Cuylle back to the skybox. Wheeler made a strong impact on the Winnipeg Jets’ first round run last season, scoring six points in five games to bring his career playoff scoring up to 45 points in 65 games.

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